SILICON VALLEY — Anthropic, OpenAI and Google have been discussing the creation of an artificial intelligence standards body, according to a report. With calls to slow AI development gaining traction and talks inside the Donald Trump administration at a standstill, the three companies are seeking to establish a voluntary industry body of their own.
The Information reported on the 13th, citing people familiar with the matter, that Anthropic, OpenAI and Google have been discussing plans for an AI standards body that would set safety benchmarks and other rules.
According to the report, working groups from the three companies, made up of executives below the chief executive level, have met regularly since July to discuss the concept. The teams have continued the talks for months in an effort to build a self-regulatory framework for the industry without government involvement.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told an all-hands meeting last week that he believes major AI companies will have to create a standards body themselves, without government support, The Information said. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei also stressed the need for independent oversight on the 12th while arguing for a slower pace of AI development.
The three companies' pursuit of a voluntary body is seen as an attempt to launch a private-sector-led organization after the Trump administration's discussions failed to progress. Anthropic and OpenAI, regarded as each other's biggest rivals, had traded public attacks ahead of their initial public offerings, but appear to have concluded that halting the feud and setting up a voluntary body now takes priority.
A draft executive order calling for a new AI standards body was prepared at the White House but ran into internal conflict. David Sacks, co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, has opposed the creation of a government-led body.
Opinion within the AI industry is also divided over an AI safety oversight body. Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a leading example. In a letter titled "The Future Belongs to Everyone" on the 10th of last month, he made clear his opposition to an AI regulatory body, arguing that the United States must halt moves toward regulation if it is to win the AI race against China. Analysts say Meta is seeking to expand an open ecosystem at a time when the AI market is developing around closed, paid models. Aidan Gomez, CEO of enterprise AI model startup Cohere, also mocked the plan on the social media platform X as "a great idea from the cartel," saying regulation would suppress smaller competitors.
