The Donald Trump administration is reportedly seeking greater influence over which companies and organizations receive early access to frontier AI models developed by the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic.
OpenAI, Anthropic AI Access Faces New Oversight
The administration’s newly launched cybersecurity initiative, Gold Eagle, could serve as a clearinghouse that would allow the White House to determine which organizations receive early access to advanced AI systems, CNBC reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
People familiar with the matter told the publication that future rollouts could require explicit government approval for participating partners.
If implemented, the change would mark a significant shift from the current approach, under which AI companies have largely controlled early access to their most powerful models through their own trusted-partner programs.
A White House official denied that the administration approves AI releases from private companies, telling the publication that government engagements and testing are voluntary.
“The Administration continues to collaborate with all of America’s frontier labs to strengthen the security of this technology without stifling innovation,” the official said.
The official added that “decisions on timing and scope of releases rest entirely with the companies,” pointing to Trump’s recent executive order on AI.
The White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
How AI Companies Have Handled Early Access
Until now, OpenAI and Anthropic have decided which enterprises, government agencies and other organizations receive early access to their newest AI models.
Anthropic has made its cybersecurity-focused Mythos model available to a select group of partners through Project Glasswing, while OpenAI operates a similar initiative called Daybreak for its cybersecurity model.
The administration previously asked OpenAI to limit access to its GPT-5.6 model to trusted partners.
The report also said Anthropic’s Claude Mythos 5 and Fable 5 were temporarily blocked last month over national security concerns before access was restored following negotiations.
Why The Administration Is Getting Involved
The reported push comes as the White House attempts to balance national security concerns surrounding increasingly capable AI systems with maintaining the U.S. lead in artificial intelligence.
Trump’s June executive order encouraged frontier AI developers to voluntarily provide the government with early access to models for security testing.
Meanwhile, competition from China continues to intensify. On Friday, Chinese startup Moonshot AI unveiled its Kimi K3 model, which reportedly performs close to OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 and Anthropic’s Fable models on several benchmarks.
Reacting to the development, former White House AI czar David Sacks wrote, “This is how you lose the AI race. The rest of the world won’t play by our rules if we bog ourselves down.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
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