FIRE statement: White House’s framework puts AI evaluation in a black box

Axios reported Monday that the Trump administration finalized its framework to evaluate advanced AI models, “but it won’t say what the framework contains, who’s seen it or when companies will start using it.”

The following statement can be attributed to John Coleman, legislative counsel for AI and free expression:

The White House is putting AI in a black box.

The government says the review process is voluntary. It says it’s just reviewing — not approving, changing, or rejecting — systems before release. If that’s true, the administration should have no problem showing the American people the rules they’re using to evaluate these systems. When that framework is classified, those promises ring hollow.

AI models are expressive tools. Their creation and use fall within the First Amendment’s protection — so the government’s efforts to regulate them rightly face serious hurdles. The public is right to be skeptical of a secret process that can be abused to reward views those in power find favorable, and punish views those in power dislike.

The American people deserve far more insight into this process than they’re getting from their government. The future of AI shouldn’t be shaped behind closed doors.