Sam Altman to meet White House chief of staff before AI framework deadline
OpenAI’s CEO told CNBC he has reviewed the proposed AI evaluation framework due by Aug. 1 and will meet Susie Wiles in Washington.
By Jordan Bell · Startups & Deals Reporter
· 3 min read
Sam Altman AI framework talks are moving to the center of Washington this week, with the OpenAI CEO telling CNBC that he has reviewed the proposed plan for carrying out President Donald Trump’s artificial intelligence executive order. Altman also said he will meet with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles while he is in Washington, D.C.
For investors tracking the AI trade, the meeting matters because federal rules for testing advanced models could shape how quickly companies release new systems, how much government oversight they face and how the U.S. positions itself against global rivals. OpenAI is private, but policy shifts around AI can affect the broader market for chips, cloud computing, cybersecurity and enterprise software.
CNBC reported that Altman is speaking this week with senior Trump administration officials, lawmakers and economists. The discussions include OpenAI’s upcoming models, cybersecurity and the U.S. role in the global AI race, according to CNBC.
What is the Aug. 1 AI framework deadline?
Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence in June, CNBC reported. An executive order is a presidential directive to federal agencies, and this one asked AI companies to voluntarily give the government access to models before broad release so officials can assess what the systems can do.
The order did not spell out many operational details, according to CNBC. Trump gave federal agencies 60 days to create a framework for how those model evaluations would work in practice, setting up an Aug. 1 deadline.
That timing puts Altman’s Washington meetings in a high-stakes window for AI companies. If the framework clarifies how pre-release testing will be handled, it could influence how developers plan launches and how lawmakers judge whether voluntary cooperation is enough.
Who is Susie Wiles in the AI talks?
Wiles is Trump’s White House chief of staff and one of his closest advisers, CNBC reported. CNBC also described her as one of the officials involved in shaping the administration’s approach to AI policy.
Altman told CNBC on Wednesday that he would meet with Wiles during his visit. He also said he had seen the proposed framework for implementing Trump’s AI executive order.
Altman was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, according to CNBC. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and several Senate Democrats met with him that day.
Afterward, Altman told CNBC that he and Cruz discussed “what it’s going to take for America to remain competitive with AI.”
Other tech leaders are also in Washington
Altman is not the only major AI figure talking with lawmakers this week. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also on Capitol Hill, a company spokesperson told CNBC.
The Nvidia spokesperson said Huang was there to discuss open models and “American leadership in AI,” according to CNBC. Open models generally refer to AI systems whose underlying components are made more accessible to outside developers, though companies and policymakers can differ on how open they should be.
The overlap shows how quickly AI policy has become a market issue as well as a technology issue. OpenAI’s models, Nvidia’s chips and federal rules for testing powerful systems all sit in the same debate: who builds the next generation of AI, how it gets released and what role Washington should play before those tools reach users.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
