Google DeepMind CEO calls for US-led AI standards body

Jul 14, 2026

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis calls for a U.S.-led AI standards body to test frontier models for risks like bioweapons before release. Citing the proximity of AGI, Hassabis proposes an industry-funded regulator modeled on FINRA. The call comes amid U.S.-China AI competition and recent regulatory tensions, including U.S. export controls on models from Anthropic and OpenAI.

AI standards body proposal

▪Hassabis proposed the body be a public-private partnership modeled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
▪The proposed organization would be funded by the AI industry, overseen by the federal government, and staffed by independent experts.
▪Hassabis, a 2024 Nobel laureate, stated the need for regulation is urgent because he believes Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is "probably only a few short years away."
▪The body would assess frontier models for risks including cybersecurity vulnerabilities, deception, and threats related to biology and nuclear security.
▪Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has called for a U.S.-led standards body to oversee and test new AI models before their release.
▪Hassabis has briefed the Trump administration on his proposal and told Axios he has received "very positive" feedback.

Regulatory tensions with tech companies

▪Previous ad hoc government reviews of AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI have been criticized for lacking technical expertise and transparent decision-making.
▪The U.S. currently lacks a comprehensive national or global set of rules specifically governing artificial intelligence.
▪The Trump administration recently imposed temporary export controls on an Anthropic model and asked OpenAI to limit a new model's rollout.
▪White House AI advisor Sriram Krishnan has stated that "there will not be an FDA for AI" within the executive branch.

US-China AI competition

▪Recent models from Chinese companies like DeepSeek and Z.ai are considered highly competitive with leading U.S. frontier systems.
▪The call for regulation occurs as the U.S. and China are engaged in an accelerating race to develop and deploy AI models.
▪U.S. lawmakers are considering how to curb the growing adoption of Chinese AI models by American companies, which the State Department called a "serious concern."