US Eyes FINRA-Like Watchdog for Top AI Models

The Trump administration is considering plans for an independent regulator to vet the safety of artificial intelligence models. This comes after Silicon Valley leaders complained about the ad-hoc nature of recent U.S. moves to slow the release of cutting-edge AI systems. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent helped develop the proposal. It would create an independent regulatory agency for AI that reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, similar to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The plan is now under review by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. What's interesting is this approach aims to offer more certainty for leading AI labs. Companies like Anthropic PBC and OpenAI have previously objected to government moves, calling them excessive. The proposal also seeks to appease Wall Street firms concerned about AI’s cybersecurity risks. The bottom line is this framework would allow both industries to play a larger role in jointly setting safety standards for AI. This could impact how AI technology develops and is regulated in the U.S.