US to launch AI and cybersecurity coordination group, White House says

By Courtney Rozen

 

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. will formally bring together AI developers and essential services providers to share information on cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified by advanced AI systems and coordinate responses, according to a White House statement, fulfilling U.S. President Donald Trump’s order from June.

 

Companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have released powerful AI systems capable of identifying software and infrastructure vulnerabilities at scale. U.S. officials worry that bad actors could use them to exploit weaknesses in the software systems underpinning critical services — including those of financial institutions, hospitals and energy networks — relied upon by Americans.

 

The Trump administration set up a coordination group between leading AI developers and the essential services providers so they can share information about vulnerabilities they have discovered in their software and not duplicate efforts. The arrangement includes developers of open-source AI models, said White House cyber director Sean Cairncross. Cairncross did not specify which developers are involved. In the U.S., Nvidia, Meta Platforms and the startup Reflection offer open-source options.

 

Trump in a June executive order directed the Treasury Department, National Cyber Director’s Office, Department of Defense and National Security Agency to set up the collaboration.

 

This is the latest example of the Trump administration playing a more active role in the AI sector. Trump at the beginning of his second term said he would take a hands-off approach to the technology. That has shifted in recent months, with his administration taking a more active role in monitoring AI’s capabilities and considering the national security risks they present. 

 

(Reporting by Courtney Rozen in Washington; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by David Ljunggren and Matthew Lewis)