White House Has Not Released Its Finalized Frontier AI Testing Framework

The White House finalized a voluntary framework for testing frontier AI models by early August, but had not released it publicly as of September 10. The framework creates a federal review path for advanced systems while leaving the public unable to see the standards behind it or the results it produces.

The framework follows a June executive order that asked AI companies, including Anthropic and OpenAI, to voluntarily give the federal government access to their most advanced models up to 30 days before release. The order created an early-review option rather than a requirement for companies to submit their systems.

A completed process, still out of view

The administration is keeping the framework’s evaluation standards confidential. Neither the administration nor companies are required to say whether a review occurred or what it found, so a submission can be reviewed without creating a public record of its outcome.

What the framework does not require publicly

• Disclosure of the standards used to assess a submitted model.
• Confirmation that a company participated in a review.
• Publication of a completed review’s outcome.

OpenAI identifies a submission

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company had submitted its new Astra model for review and described the process as productive. His statement confirms that OpenAI used the channel, but it does not disclose the tests Astra faced, the government’s findings or any resulting changes.

That confidentiality is central to the framework’s practical limit. Early government access could allow a review before a model’s release, yet optional disclosure means outsiders cannot determine how widely companies use the process or how it affects release decisions.

A request for public scrutiny

The Center for Democracy and Technology has urged the White House to release the framework. Its request puts a concrete question before the administration: whether a voluntary system for reviewing advanced AI models should also expose its governing rules to public scrutiny.