Hassabis calls for a US-led global watchdog for frontier AI
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis proposed a new "Standards Body" to evaluate frontier models before release and coordinate an industry-wide slowdown if any are judged too dangerous. He argued the US should lead given its economic and technical standing, modeling the body on FINRA, the industry-funded Wall Street regulator. Labs would voluntarily submit models for review up to 30 days before release, later becoming mandatory.
Hassabis warned that AGI is "probably only a few short years away" and that humanity has a "precious window" to prepare. He has spent months briefing the Trump administration, other labs, and European officials, hoping to launch before year-end, though White House AI adviser Sriram Krishnan recently said "there will not be an FDA for AI."
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