DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis proposes independent standards body for frontier AI regulation

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has proposed the creation of a new independent standards body to regulate the release of frontier AI models, drawing on the structure of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). In a post titled “A Framework for Frontier AI and the Dawning of a New Age,” Hassabis outlines a system where frontier labs voluntarily submit models for review up to 30 days before release, with the potential for formalization into a mandatory approval process for the US market.

The proposal comes in the wake of criticism over the US government’s ad hoc reviews of Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s Sol, which were seen as lacking technical expertise and transparency. Under Hassabis’s plan, those responsibilities would transfer to a new organization backed by the US government, funded by the AI industry, and staffed with technical experts and open-source representatives. The body could also outsource specialized evaluations to the growing ecosystem of AI safety groups.

The regulatory landscape for AI remains contentious. White House AI advisor and a16z general partner Sriram Krishnan has flatly stated there will be no “FDA for AI” within the executive branch. By positioning the proposed body as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) like FINRA, Hassabis may be attempting to navigate these political headwinds while still establishing a technically rigorous oversight mechanism.

“The strength of this approach is it would be technically focused, while at the same time supporting innovation and incentivising responsible behaviour,” Hassabis argues. “It is designed to keep up with the field’s acceleration and adapt to the biggest risks as they are identified, and could be ratcheted up if the seriousness of the situation demands.”