The Trump administration is considering requiring government oversight of artificial intelligence models before they are released to the public, The New York Times reported on Monday, May 5, 2026 — a significant reversal of the administration’s earlier hands-off approach to AI regulation.
The White House is discussing an executive order that would establish a working group of tech executives and government officials to examine potential review procedures for new AI models. Senior administration officials briefed executives from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI on elements of the plans during meetings last week.
The shift marks a sharp departure from President Trump’s earlier stance. After taking office, Trump rescinded a 2023 Biden-era executive order that had required AI developers to share safety test results with the government and directed federal agencies to set technology standards. Trump had cast regulation as a threat to US competitiveness with China.
Several factors appear to have driven the reconsideration. Mounting public anxiety over AI’s impact on jobs, energy costs, education, and mental health — combined with bipartisan concern in Congress — has shifted the political calculus, according to the Times. A more immediate catalyst was the emergence of a powerful new AI model called Mythos, built by San Francisco startup Anthropic. The company has described the model’s ability to identify software security vulnerabilities as potentially leading to a cybersecurity reckoning and has declined to release it publicly.
Administration officials want to avoid political fallout from a potential AI-enabled cyberattack and are also evaluating whether advanced models could yield capabilities useful to the Pentagon and intelligence agencies.
The policy rethink coincides with a leadership shake-up on AI within the administration. David Sacks, the former White House AI czar who championed deregulation, departed the role in March. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have since stepped in, signaling they intend to take a more active role in shaping AI policy.
A White House official told the Times that talk of an executive order was “speculation” and said Trump would make any policy announcement himself.
Source: Tech-Economic Times