<p>The White House said on Monday it met its <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/31/inside-europe-lessons-ai-safety-trump-rules-loom" target="_blank">deadline</a> to establish a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/02/trump-signs-new-ai-executive-order" target="_blank">voluntary</a> framework for evaluating advanced <a href="https://www.axios.com/technology/automation-and-ai" target="_blank">AI</a> models — but it won't say what the framework contains, who's seen it or when companies will start using it.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>The framework is being closely watched beyond the industry players it directly applies to.</p><hr><ul><li>Policymakers, AI safety advocates, and U.S. allies have been waiting to see what the rules for the most powerful models in the world look like. </li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"The voluntary framework outlined in the June 2nd executive order was complete by the deadline," a White House official said.</p><ul><li>"Discussions with industry about next steps are underway," the official said, adding that the administration is engaging with "many more" industry partners than just Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. </li><li>Leading up to the deadline, the three labs gave the administration feedback on a draft of the framework. </li></ul><p><strong>What's inside:</strong> The <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/10/alternative-playbook-ai-regulation" target="_blank">framework</a> is meant to give AI developers a structure for engaging the government to determine whether models under development would be covered.</p><ul><li>The framework is supposed to spell out the confidentiality, cybersecurity, insider-risk, intellectual-property protection use and nondisclosure requirements that would apply when the government gets access to models for up to 30 days before they're released.</li><li>The framework should also include which "trusted partners" will also have early access to models.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/promoting-advanced-artificial-intelligence-innovation-and-security/" target="_blank">executive order</a> explicitly says the benchmarking process to assess advanced cyber capabilities of AI models will be classified. </p><ul><li>The threshold for which models are covered under the order is also classified and will only be shared with AI developers and researchers "as appropriate."</li><li>The order does not similarly designate the voluntary framework as classified, and policymakers and other observers <a href="https://x.com/RepCasar/status/2084280775881470144" target="_blank">expected</a> to see details.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Companies are seeking clarity early so they know whether models under development are likely to fall under the framework.</p><ul><li>"Just because things are unclassified that doesn't mean we are going to broadcast them to everyone," the White House official said.</li></ul><p><strong>What's next: </strong>The White House will hold a staff-level meeting with companies on Tuesday to review the framework, a source familiar said.</p>