OpenAI diverges from White House on AI safety rules

OpenAI diverges from White House on AI safety rules

The tech giant unveiled a regulatory framework for advanced AI that splits from new White House plans for voluntary vetting and an enhanced role for the intelligence community.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the BlackRock Infrastructure Summit on March 11, 2026, in Washington, D.C. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A new OpenAI proposal for regulating advanced artificial intelligence systems splits from President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on at least two key points, with the tech giant now working to nudge the White House and Congress toward its preferred approach to governing AI.

In a new policy paper, OpenAI calls on the federal government to require mandatory evaluations of advanced AI models for potential risks, but places the responsibility for overseeing that process on civilian agencies.

It represents a significant split from the new White House order, which on Tuesday created a voluntary framework for the evaluation of advanced AI systems for cybersecurity risks that would be led by the National Security Agency. Under OpenAI’s plan, such efforts would be led by the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, an office of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.