Trump Signs Voluntary AI Cyber Review Order

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning , Governance & Risk Management , Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development Trump Signs Voluntary AI Cyber Review Order White House Cuts Proposed AI Review Period From 90 Days to 30 Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) • June 2, 2026     Credit Eligible Get Permission Image: Shutterstock U.S. President Donald Trump signed Tuesday an executive order establishing a voluntary framework for evaluating advanced artificial intelligence models with significant cybersecurity capabilities in a directive that rejects mandatory licensing or preclearance requirements. See Also: Cloud NGFW for Azure The order directs federal cyber, intelligence and homeland security officials to develop classified benchmarks for assessing advanced AI systems. The White House will also establish an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse with industry and critical infrastructure operators and expand access to AI-enabled defensive technologies across government. The directive comes just days after Trump unexpectedly postponed signing an earlier version of the proposal by citing concerns it could hamper American AI innovation (see: White House Faces Pressure to Rewrite AI Order). Under the order, developers will be able to voluntarily provide the government with access to covered frontier models for up to 30 days before they are released to other trusted partners, whereas the previous draft provided 90 days for federal review. "Advanced AI capabilities make our nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action," the order states. It adds that the administration intends to work with industry to ensure "the best and most secure technology is deployed rapidly to confront any and all threats to our country." A key component of the order directs the Department of the Treasury, National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to develop and maintain a classified benchmarking process for assessing the advanced cyber capabilities of AI systems. Federal officials will use those assessments to determine when a model should be designated a "covered frontier model" under the framework. The order gives the NSA primary responsibility for making those determinations in consultation with the national cyber director, CISA, the White House science and technology adviser and other defense officials. Federal agencies are also directed to share relevant assessments with AI developers and researchers when appropriate. Federal agencies and participating companies would then collaborate on selecting trusted partners that could receive early access to those models in an effort to strengthen cybersecurity across critical infrastructure sectors. The 30-day review period reflects the most notable change from the earlier draft reviewed by ISMG that would have allowed federal access to covered frontier models for up to 90 days. Beyond frontier model assessments, the order contains a series of directives aimed at strengthening cybersecurity across federal agencies and critical infrastructure sectors. Within 30 days, CISA must issue binding operational directives and other guidance to prioritize the cyber defense of civilian federal systems and critical infrastructure. The order specifically references rural hospitals, community banks and local utilities as potential beneficiaries. Treasury, NSA and CISA will also set up the AI cybersecurity clearinghouse to coordinate software vulnerability scanning efforts, validate discovered vulnerabilities and help prioritize remediation and patch distribution activities. The order earned sardonic support from Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia lawmaker who is the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Once again, the Trump administration has belatedly discovered the need to redo something it hastily dismantled in its first year," he said in a statement, referring to an October 2023 executive order signed by then-President Joe Biden that directed AI system developers to conduct safety tests and share results with the government before releasing them to the public. Trump rescinded the Biden order on his first day in office (see: President Trump Scraps Biden's AI Safety Executive Order). Warner also said he will monitor for whether the pre-deployment evaluation process detailed in the Trump order creates opportunities for the White House to pressure U.S. firms into making changes to their products or Terms of Service to suit partisan or legally questionable objectives of the president and his allies." The order takes effect immediately, with most implementation requirements scheduled to begin within the next 30 to 60 days. With reporting by ISMG's David Perera in Northern Virginia.