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Exterior view of the White House in Washington, D.C., taken on the 7th (local time). / Xinhua·Yonhap

Donald Trump administration officials, citing national security threats, have asked government-affiliated artificial intelligence (AI) testing agencies to stop publishing reports intended for public release, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 9 (local time).

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, senior administration officials — including National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross — instructed the Commerce Department’s AI Standards Innovation Center (CAISI) to suspend the publication of AI model evaluation results.

This move appears consistent with the executive order signed by President Trump on June 2 regarding “Advanced AI Innovation and Security Enhancement.”

The order establishes a framework requiring AI developers to submit their latest models for government security review for up to 30 days before release.

The administration has been preparing countermeasures after Anthropic’s newly released AI model, Mythos, was reported to have capabilities that could aid cyberattacks or biological weapon development.

Director Cairncross and Treasury Secretary Scott Besant have long argued that national security considerations should carry greater weight in AI model evaluations.

Some administration officials, however, have expressed frustration that Cairncross is exerting excessive influence over the evaluation process, viewing it as interference in CAISI’s established role.

Companies such as OpenAI have reportedly met with administration officials to emphasize CAISI’s importance and the need to preserve its authority.

AI developers have maintained ties with CAISI since the Biden administration. Analysts warn that under the new executive order, if security officials deem their models risky, product release schedules could be disrupted.

White House spokesperson Liz Houston stated, “President Trump’s AI policy implementation is a whole-of-government effort pursued for success. Director Cairncross is performing excellently, encouraging innovation while protecting the American people.”

                                                                                                             Kim Hyun-min