Trump meets AI giants, Senate Dems decry ‘unpredictable’ governance—and cheap Chinese AI looms as giant security risk

As the White House meets Tuesday with AI companies to discuss a finished voluntary framework for testing frontier AI models’ cybersecurity risk, Senate Democrats are claiming the Trump administration’s lack of clarity on AI governance has fueled an increase in American companies outsourcing their operations to cheaper Chinese AI alternatives.

“The Trump administration’s unfocused, ad hoc approach to AI risks America’s economic security and competitiveness,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a letter before the meeting. “The American people and leading AI companies need clear rules, not constantly changing dictates from the White House. Current administration policy is a disaster, failing to address security risks while threatening American innovation and pushing the world to Chinese alternatives.”

The voluntary framework stems from a June 2 executive order that lets the government review powerful new AI models for national security risks for up to 30 days before they launch. But details were scarce. On Monday, the administration announced it had met its deadline to finish the framework, but didn’t disclose what was actually in the document, who has seen it, or when companies will begin using it. Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic—all reportedly in attendance at Tuesday’s closed-door meeting...