Will AI Models Have To Be Reviews By The Government?

This Tech Brew Ride Home episode rounds up key tech developments, led by signs of a U.S. policy shift toward AI oversight amid growing public concerns, plus updates on chip supply chains, crypto layoffs, and emerging AI hardware and investments.

Trump Administration Eyes AI Model Vetting

The Trump administration is discussing an executive order to create an AI working group with tech executives and officials to explore oversight procedures, including formal government reviews of new AI models before release. This marks a reversal from Trump's prior hands-off stance, which emphasized letting AI "thrive" without "foolish rules" to compete with China—he had rolled back Biden-era safety reporting requirements. The pivot follows public worries over AI's impacts on jobs, energy, privacy, and more, with Pew polls showing similar concern levels among Republicans (50%) and Democrats (51%). It gained momentum after Anthropic withheld its powerful Mythos model due to cybersecurity risks. White House officials briefed executives from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI last week; the group may draw from Britain's multi-agency safety checks. Tech leaders worry overregulation could hinder U.S. innovation, though companies disagree on next steps, per former advisor Dean Ball.