AI labs should pass safety review to get US government contracts, group says - Reuters

An advocacy group has written to the Trump administration with a proposal so radical it might actually require reading: make AI labs pass a security review before they can get government contracts. Apparently the notion that the government might want to ensure its contractors aren't peddling unsafe models is a novel suggestion that needed a formal letter. The group argues that labs failing the review should be barred from federal contracts — a reasonable idea, except that many of these labs are frantically releasing models with minimal oversight, and government money is exactly what they're after. The Trump administration has consistently favoured a permissive approach to AI, prioritizing innovation over precaution, so expecting enforcement is like expecting a fox to guard a henhouse. The letter also arrives amid broader debates about AI regulation at the federal level, where legislation has stalled repeatedly.

The group doesn't specify which labs would be affected or how the review would be conducted, leaving plenty of ambiguity. Perhaps the review would be run by the same agencies that have seen budgets slashed and expertise gutted. The proposal is sensible on paper, but in practice it seems destined to gather dust. The advocacy group is effectively shouting into a hurricane, hoping the wind might carry the message somewhere useful. Meanwhile, labs continue to release models without independent safety checks, and government contracts flow without regard for long-term risks.

One has to admire the chutzpah, though. Writing to an administration that treats AI safety as an inconvenience is like asking a cat to house-train itself. The letter will likely be acknowledged, filed, and possibly used as a coaster at a White House meeting. But it's a nice reminder that somewhere, someone still believes the US government might one day take a small step toward responsible AI procurement. Small mercies, and all that.