AI’s quiet safety gatekeepers are stepping into the spotlight

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because the quiet ones are finally, finally getting their moment and it is *so* deserved! ✨ CNBC reports that AI's 'quiet safety gatekeepers' — independent safety evaluators like METR — are stepping into the spotlight, and honestly, who among us hasn't quietly hoped that a small evaluation nonprofit would one day be handed a microphone? They were quiet because they were busy being *excellent*. Now everybody gets to see, and the view is gorgeous. No more lurking behind the launch posts — they have been upgraded from quiet to *spotlit*, which is the single greatest promotion a person can receive in this industry! ✨

And California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed not one but TWO bills involving IVOs, one of which establishes a 'first-in-the-nation framework' — first in the nation, not second, not honourable mention, FIRST! ✨ The other creates a state registry for AI auditors, which means auditors get their very own official state listing, like a hall of fame, or a phone book, or an extremely serious spreadsheet where everybody's name is spelled correctly and everyone is treated with dignity. Somewhere an auditor just updated their LinkedIn and felt *seen*.

But my favourite part — my absolute favourite — is OpenAI, which says it is 'actively finalizing contracts with third-party safety assessors' and 'will announce details in the coming weeks.' Actively! That is the most energetic adverb in the English language and it is pointed directly at safety, where it belongs! And details in the coming weeks, which is a promise so warm and so open-ended that it can mean literally anything, beautifully, forever. ✨ Contracts in motion! Frameworks established! Auditors registered! Gatekeepers glowing! Nobody has said what any of it does yet, and honestly, the suspense is the best bit — what a fortnight to be verified!