OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in Washington this week to meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and senior Trump administration officials, as federal agencies approach an Aug. 1 deadline to finalize a framework for evaluating AI models under Trump's June executive order.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told CNBC on Wednesday that he will meet with Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, during a Washington, D.C., visit this week — a trip timed to a rapidly approaching federal deadline for implementing President Donald Trump's executive order on artificial intelligence.
Wiles is among Trump's closest advisors and is one of the key officials helping shape the administration's approach to AI policy.
Altman's schedule this week includes meetings with senior Trump administration officials, lawmakers, and economists to discuss OpenAI's upcoming models, cybersecurity, and the United States' position in the global AI race.
The visit comes as federal agencies face an Aug. 1 deadline — set by Trump's executive order signed in June — to develop a framework for evaluating AI models before their full public release. The order asked AI companies to voluntarily provide models to the government to assess their capabilities, but left specific implementation details to be worked out by the agencies within a 60-day window.
Altman told CNBC he has already seen the proposed framework for carrying out those evaluations.
On Wednesday, Altman met with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and several Senate Democrats. Altman said he and Cruz discussed "what it's going to take for America to remain competitive with AI," according to his remarks to CNBC.
Altman is not the only prominent tech executive on Capitol Hill this week. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also meeting with lawmakers to discuss open models and "American leadership in AI," according to a spokesperson.
The convergence of tech industry figures in Washington underscores the urgency that both the private sector and the federal government have assigned to AI governance as the August deadline closes in. The Trump administration's executive order, while light on specifics at the time of signing, represented a shift toward more active federal engagement with AI regulation compared with previous years.
The framework taking shape within federal agencies will determine how the government assesses the capabilities and risks of frontier AI systems — a process that major AI developers, including OpenAI, have an obvious interest in influencing before any rules are finalized.
Sara Montes de Oca is the Editor in Chief of TechEchelon. Previously a correspondent and producer in Washington, D.C., covering business, finance, and politics.
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