DeepMind CEO Hassabis Calls for Independent AI Standards Body

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis published a post on X titled 'A Framework for Frontier AI and the Dawning of a New Age,' calling for the creation of a self-regulatory organization to govern frontier model releases. The proposed body would be modeled after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) — backed by the US government but funded by the AI industry and operated independently. Initially, frontier labs would voluntarily submit models for review up to 30 days before release. Once the assessment protocol proves effective, compliance could become mandatory for US market deployment. The proposal builds on ad hoc government reviews of Anthropic's Mythos and OpenAI's Sol, which drew criticism for lacking technical expertise and transparent decision-making. Hassabis envisions the body staffed by open-source representatives, industry technical experts, and potentially outsourcing evaluations to AI safety organizations. White House AI advisor and a16z general partner Sriram Krishnan has previously stated 'there will not be an FDA for AI,' making the FINRA-style self-regulatory structure a potential workaround to administration resistance. Hassabis stated the approach is 'technically focused, while at the same time supporting innovation and incentivising responsible behaviour.'