Google DeepMind Chief Calls for US-Led AI Standards Body Amid Growing Concerns Over National Security Risks

Demis Hassabis, the chief of Google’s artificial intelligence division and Nobel laureate, has called for the United States to spearhead a standards body that would oversee new AI models and assess national security risks. In an article posted on X, Hassabis emphasized the need for ‘urgent action’ to address the challenges associated with artificial general intelligence (AGI), which refers to the point at which AI matches or surpasses human intelligence.

Hassabis noted that frontier models have already posed significant cybersecurity threats, and other potential dangers such as nuclear and biological risks may soon emerge as capabilities continue to advance. He proposed a US-led public-private partnership overseen by the federal government as a solution to help tackle these threats. The White House, State Department, and Department of Commerce have been approached for comment.

The comments come on the heels of recent calls among industry leaders for an AI watchdog. Despite growing concerns over regulation, leading AI models are increasingly being subject to restrictions from public and private sectors alike. For instance, Anthropic was locked in negotiations with officials after the Trump administration temporarily imposed export controls over an advanced model, while OpenAI faced similar restrictions as it was initially requested by the US government to limit the rollout of a new model.

Hassabis argued that the US is well-positioned to lead in developing an AI framework ‘given its economic and technical standing.’ He suggested establishing a new Standards Body modeled on a federally overseen public-private partnership or self-regulatory organization, similar to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which regulates brokerage firms and exchange markets in the US. The proposed body would need substantial funding to attract world-class technical talent and provide necessary compute resources for large-scale testing.

Funding would likely come from industry, Hassabis said. Frontier labs would initially voluntarily share models with the Standards Body for review up to 30 days before release; after that, sharing would become mandatory for deployment in the US market if shown to be effective. The proposed body could also leverage specific agentic AI tests to identify attempts to bypass safety guardrails or signs of deception and ensure best practices such as digitally watermarking AI-generated images.

The calls for greater regulatory oversight come amid a heated competition between the US and China to develop and deploy AI models. Recent model releases from Chinese companies, including DeepSeek and Z.ai, are seen by many as highly competitive compared to leading frontier systems from Anthropic and OpenAI. As a result, US lawmakers are currently considering how to curb the growing adoption of Chinese AI models by homegrown companies, which raises ‘serious concerns’ according to the State Department.

Hassabis’s proposal for an AI standards body has been echoed by other industry leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The two called for a US-led coalition to shape rules and standards around AI at a G7 meeting with tech leaders and heads of state that included President Donald Trump earlier this month.

The need for an AI watchdog has become increasingly pressing as the development and deployment of advanced models continue to accelerate. Hassabis emphasized the importance of addressing national security risks associated with AGI, which he believes requires ‘urgent action.’ The proposed Standards Body would provide a framework for overseeing new AI models and assessing potential dangers, ensuring that best practices are followed in developing and deploying these technologies.