Senators press Trump admin to rally federal government around AI safety, security - CyberScoop

Members of Congress are pressing the Trump administration to expand the federal government's role in securing artificial intelligence, according to a report by CyberScoop. The lawmakers want new safety standards and regulations, independent testing of models, and more "aggressive" use of AI for defensive cybersecurity purposes. The push comes in the form of a letter addressed to two administration officials.

The letter is addressed to Jay Clayton, described in the report as director of national intelligence and the new White House "AI czar," and to Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In it, members urge the federal government "to bring its full capacities to bear on this challenge, building a coordinated national response around standards, testing, auditing, and defensive AI." The four components — standards, testing, auditing and defensive AI — are presented as elements of a single national response.

The report does not name the members of Congress who signed the letter, state how many signed it, or give the date it was sent. The specific standards, testing regimes or auditing requirements the signatories have in mind are likewise not detailed. What the letter sets out is a direction: a larger federal role in AI security, organized around independent evaluation of models and the use of AI itself for defensive purposes. No specific legislative vehicle, agency or timeline is named in the report, and the administration's response to the letter is not described.