Sam Altman spent the week in Washington making a careful distinction. He is asking lawmakers to spend more money testing artificial intelligence, and asking them not to require AI companies to win government approval before releasing a model.
The first is a request for resources. The second is a request for a particular kind of regulation not to exist. OpenAI wants both, and the line between them is the whole argument.
Altman is urging Congress to reject proposals that would force developers to obtain federal sign-off ahead of a public launch, according to people familiar with his message. In place of an approval gate, he wants more funding for AI testing at the US Department of Commerce, and he wants the government to add scientists with expertise in cybersecurity, biological weapons, and national security to that effort. The pitch is for capacity to evaluate models rather than authority to block them.
The timing is not incidental. President Donald Trump signed an executive order asking AI companies to provide their models to the government for testing for up to 30 days before full release. The process is voluntary. Altman’s Washington visit is, in effect, an argument to keep it that way, to fund the evaluation while resisting any move that would convert a voluntary review into a mandatory licence.
