President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) on June 2 that requests early access to new AI models developed by technology companies before they’re released to the public.
The order requests companies voluntarily share their new AI models with the government, allowing federal agencies to conduct safety testing over a period of 30 days. To accomplish this, the order instructed the treasury secretary to develop an AI “cybersecurity clearinghouse,” which would convene federal agency directors to review the models for potential security vulnerabilities.
U.S. AI Security Concerns and Postponed Orders
The EO comes at a time of concern around new AI models. Over the past few weeks, there were concerns reported over Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, an AI model found to outperform humans at certain hacking and cybersecurity tasks, such as identifying and exploiting dormant bugs in older code.
New AI tools such as Mythos symbolize the national security concerns posed by unregulated AI.
“Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies,” the order stated.
President Trump was previously set to release the order on May 21. The release was postponed, with Trump citing concerns over the review period — initially set at 90 days — delaying the U.S.’s technological edge. President Trump signed off on the executive order once the timeline was cut to 30 days.
What the Order Entails — and What It Doesn’t
The order instructs federal agencies — such as the Treasury Department, the National Security Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — to work with White House officials to develop and maintain “a classified benchmarking process to assess the advanced cyber capabilities of AI models.”
The order also gives the Justice Department authority to pursue criminal cases against AI hackers. The wording of this new order is worth noting: It requests companies “voluntarily” share AI models for review rather than stating it as a requirement. The order states that nothing about this voluntary pre-release of AI models “shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement.”
What HR Should Watch
As advanced AI tools continue to come to market, HR leaders need to exercise careful scrutiny about which tools they deploy. The latest order signals that AI governance is increasingly being framed through a lens of national security.
Employers will have to find the balance between strengthening internal security policies around AI use and remaining future-focused by adopting the right technology. HR leaders will need to keep informed of regulatory changes to ensure they are following proper procedures and policies, and focusing on protecting employee data.
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