AI companies reconsider safety commitments as Trump rolls back Biden-era regulations

Anthropic‘s quiet removal of Biden-era AI safety commitments signals a broader shift in industry self-regulation as Trump dismantles previous government oversight mechanisms. This development highlights the emerging tension between corporate AI development priorities and diminishing federal guardrails, potentially reshaping how AI safety and responsible development are defined in the coming years.

The big picture: Anthropic has quietly removed language from its website that committed the company to sharing information about AI risks with the government, a pledge originally made under Biden administration initiatives.

• The commitment, which was deleted last week from Anthropic’s transparency hub, promised cooperation on addressing AI risks including bias.
• Though not legally binding, this voluntary commitment was part of broader self-regulation agreements that major AI companies including OpenAI, Google, and Meta signed in July 2023.

Why this matters: The removal comes amid systematic dismantling of Biden-era AI safety infrastructure by the Trump administration, signaling a potential industry-wide retreat from previous safety commitments.

• The AI Safety Institute, created under Biden’s executive order and with which Anthropic had agreed to work, will likely be dissolved under Trump.
• Trump has already reversed Biden’s AI executive order, fired government AI experts, and cut research funding in this domain.

Between the lines: Anthropic’s move appears to be part of a larger strategic repositioning by AI companies in response to the new administration’s priorities.

• The company did not publicly announce the removal of these commitments and maintains that its existing responsible AI stances predate or are unrelated to Biden-era agreements.
• Other companies like Google are also revisiting their definitions of responsible AI, potentially taking advantage of reduced government oversight.

The broader context: AI regulation in the U.S. is experiencing significant rollback, creating a regulatory vacuum that companies may exploit.

• Companies now face even fewer external incentives to implement safety checks or answer to third parties regarding their AI systems.
• Safety checks specifically targeting bias and discrimination have been notably absent from Trump’s communications on AI policy.

Looking ahead: The shift suggests AI companies may increasingly define safety standards on their own terms, potentially prioritizing government contracts and commercial interests over previously established safety frameworks.

• Some AI companies appear to be working closely with the Trump administration to shape still-unclear AI policies.
• The rollback of oversight mechanisms could fundamentally alter how responsible AI development is defined and implemented in the U.S. tech sector.