This story appeared in The Logoff, a day by day e-newsletter that helps you keep knowledgeable in regards to the Trump administration with out letting political information take over your life. Subscribe right here.
Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is placing itself in command of rolling out a brand new ChatGPT mannequin.
What’s occurring? On Friday, ChatGPT maker OpenAI introduced plans to launch a number of new AI fashions, together with one referred to as GPT-5.6 Sol, “within the coming weeks.” However on the request of the Trump administration, not everybody will get entry at first: As a substitute, the federal government will get to log off on which corporations can use the brand new mannequin, which OpenAI mentioned is its strongest but.
What’s the context? That is the second massive AI transfer the Trump administration has made not too long ago. Earlier in June, it basically banned Anthropic’s highly effective new “frontier” AI mannequin shortly after the corporate launched it.
That mannequin — initially referred to as “Mythos” and launched publicly in a extra restricted model referred to as “Fable” — could have had a major safety flaw (how critical is somewhat unclear; my colleague Eric Levitz explains extra right here). However there’s additionally good purpose to suppose the ban may stem from the administration’s animus towards Anthropic.
Why does this matter? As Eric writes, there’s case that the federal authorities ought to get extra concerned in AI regulation. And it is sensible to be cautious about frontier fashions, that are highly effective and probably harmful. However what the Trump administration is doing isn’t regulation in any conventional sense — there’s no clear course of or universally utilized commonplace at play.
As a substitute, the administration appears to be making it up because it goes alongside — and, within the course of, giving itself critical leverage over each AI corporations and the companies hoping to make use of these new instruments.
And with that, it’s time to log out…
Hello readers, I hope you’ve been having fun with our little World Cup pop-up function on this part of the e-newsletter (worry not — it is going to proceed). However for those who’re not fairly all-in, enable my colleague Alex Abad-Santos to make the case for why this summer season is the proper time to get into sports activities. You possibly can learn his article right here with a present hyperlink. (And simply fake there’s additionally a prolonged part in there from me in regards to the Tour de France.)
Thanks for studying, have an important weekend, and we’ll see you again right here on Monday!
