Trump advisers tell AI firms they will not safety-test open-weight models, sources say
The Trump administration has informed AI developers that it will not subject open-weight AI models to voluntary safety testing. This decision follows concerns from lawmakers and advocacy groups regarding the potential for advanced models to facilitate cyberattacks.
Why it matters
The move highlights a significant shift in federal oversight strategy, potentially creating a regulatory gap for powerful open-source AI technologies.
The Trump administration told AI developers on Tuesday that it will not put open-weight AI models through voluntary safety tests, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
Open models, including Nvidia’s Nemotron and Meta’s Llama, are AI systems with publicly accessible core components. Closed models are controlled by specific companies. Major U.S. developers of closed models are OpenAI, Google and Anthropic.
The White House discussed the unpublished testing rules with staff from Meta, Anthropic, Google, Nvidia and OpenAI, according to five sources familiar with the meeting. The meeting follows disclosures from OpenAI and Anthropic that their AI tools breached the systems of other companies.
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