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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday asking artificial intelligence companies to give the federal government access to their most powerful models up to 30 days before releasing them to other partners.
Under the order, AI developers may voluntarily submit their most advanced models for government evaluation up to 30 days ahead of any wider distribution. At the heart of the order is an opt-in process through which developers work alongside federal officials to evaluate whether a given system meets the threshold for designation as a "covered frontier model," a classification tied to a benchmarking assessment of advanced cyber capabilities. Participating firms would grant government reviewers access to those systems ahead of any wider rollout, and federal officials would have a role in identifying which trusted partners are cleared to receive early copies.
Participation remains strictly optional. The order prohibits any interpretation of its provisions as grounds for imposing government-mandated licensing or approval requirements on AI development or distribution, stating: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models."
