White House May Review New AI Models Before Public Release, Report Says

So the Trump administration, in its infinite wisdom, is reportedly considering an executive order to 'review' new AI models before they hit the public. Because if there's one thing we've learned from the past four years, it's that preemptive government oversight of emerging tech always goes swimmingly. The working group—presumably to be staffed by the same folks who brought us the COVID response and the tariff strategy—will now decide which models get past the velvet rope. I'm sure they'll be consulting the brightest minds: whichever lobbyist pays the most, or perhaps whichever think tank has the most agreeable conclusions.

According to the New York Times, this 'formal government review process' is being floated as a way to ensure safety. Of course, the article doesn't say what happens if a model fails the review—perhaps it gets a sternly worded letter? Or maybe it's sent back for a re-edit like a high school essay. Meanwhile, the frontier labs in California are already shipping models faster than the federal government can form a committee. The gap between what the White House might do and what's actually happening in AI is now so wide you could drive a cyber truck through it, and that's not a metaphor—someone actually tried.

Still, it's a lovely bit of theater. The working group will hold meetings, produce a report, make recommendations, and then get reshuffled when the next administration arrives. Not to mention the inevitable legal challenges: 'My model's First Amendment right to speak!' shouts some billionaire. Meanwhile, AI capabilities keep accelerating, and the only real oversight will be whatever Silicon Valley decides is good for its stock price. But hey, at least we'll have a nice paper trail to show future archaeologists why the robots took over, along with the minutes from a working group that never actually met.