AI executive action stalled by White House infighting

Disagreement among administration officials and a time crunch with President Trump's China summit are holding up efforts to launch a federal response to the next frontier of AI. Why it matters: There's not yet any new federal AI regulation weeks after Mythos — Anthropic's most advanced model yet — threw Washington for a loop. Early talk of federal safety reviews of new AI models has slowed down as Trump administration comments have made it clear they aren't on the same page just yet. Leaders across the government are spooked by the capabilities of leading AI labs' latest models, but the realities of Washington are slowing down any immediate action. Driving the news: AI is likely on the agenda for Trump's trip to Beijing this week, and the industry is anxiously awaiting new guidance in response to the release of the latest frontier AI models. One tech industry source told Axios the administration may wait on the outcome of the China summit before making any final decisions on AI. The global picture is also getting more complicated, with European governments seeking access to models like Mythos for their own security testing. What they're saying: Administration officials had to walk back one of their own suggesting safety reviews like an "FDA for AI" — a sign of a lack of cohesion about what the government should do next. After National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the White House was studying how "future AIs" may go through a process "just like an FDA drug," other officials were quick to tamp down his remarks, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and former AI and crypto czar David Sacks. "The real issue is not what the American labs do, it's the fact that Chinese models and other models that other actors could train are going to have advanced cyber capabilities within the next six months or so, and so we need to take steps now to harden our systems," Sacks, who currently co-chairs the President's Council of A...

Original source: Axios