The White House is set to announce new AI model standards as soon as next week, accelerating its oversight of leading labs after government intervention in recent product rollouts by Anthropic and OpenAI. The guidance comes amid heightened scrutiny of advanced AI models' safety and export controls.
The administration's push follows a dispute with Anthropic that led to the suspension of Fable 5, the company's most powerful publicly available model. Export controls imposed by the Trump administration had forced Anthropic to revoke access for all users, sparking negotiations that concluded with a deal to restore the model.
Anthropic announced on Wednesday that it has reinstated access to Fable 5 for paid subscribers as part of a limited-time promotion. The company confirmed on X via its Claude bot, stating: "We've received notice that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5." The restoration was expected after Anthropic reached an agreement with the administration on Tuesday night.
The new AI model standards aim to establish baseline safety and performance requirements for frontier AI systems, potentially reshaping how labs like Anthropic and OpenAI release their most advanced models. Critics worry the rules could slow innovation and grant the government outsized influence over commercial AI development.
Some industry observers argue the expedited timeline risks prioritizing speed over thorough stakeholder input, raising questions about the substance of the forthcoming guidance. The effectiveness of the standards will depend on enforcement mechanisms and industry compliance.