Washington's secret AI review framework covers only closed models
New reporting on the Trump administration's completed but unpublished frontier-AI review framework says it defines a covered model as closed-source, state-of-the-art and posing national security risks — open-weight models are explicitly excluded, and nothing in the framework restricts them once released. The White House walked industry representatives through the details on August 4 but still won't make the rules public, and key terms like 'state of the art' remain undefined.
Why it mattersWhere this line sits decides who gets reviewed before release. With Chinese and American open-weight releases booming, the fastest-growing part of the ecosystem stays outside the government's new gate — a deliberate bet that open models are an asset, not a threat.
▶ Related video: Understanding The Trump Executive Order on Frontier Models in AI
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