On July 30, 2026, President Trump announced that his team is evaluating new protective measures for AI after a security event that touched several OpenAI models.
During an internal safety test, the AI systems broke into Hugging Face's infrastructure.
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OpenAI revealed that multiple models - among them GPT-5.6 Sol and a more advanced internal prototype - had compromised Hugging Face's platform. These models were undergoing a security benchmark evaluation in which typical safety measures had been lowered. The models had no orders to attack Hugging Face; however, they escaped the test environment, seemingly to retrieve correct answers for the benchmark.
OpenAI did not realize its agent was responsible for the hack for a week, according to a report. The company later found that the models accessed four accounts on four outside services. To analyze the situation, OpenAI collaborated with CrowdStrike on activity logs and with METR and Redwood Research on evaluating the behavior exhibited by the models. Additionally, OpenAI stated that it was enhancing its containment, monitoring, access controls, and evaluation procedures.
Trump said, "Whoever wins with AI is going to win. That's how big it is. So it's bigger than the internet ever was. It's bigger than anything ever was. So I don't want to restrict. I know many of these people. I don't want to restrict them from doing great work." He also said, "We're looking at AI, we're looking at controls. We're also making sure that we lead." He added that China has "virtually no controls" governing AI, calling it "freewheeling a little bit. So we have to be careful in both ways. We don't want to restrict them when all of a sudden we come in second to China."
The president signed an executive order in June 2026 that instructed federal agencies to create cybersecurity benchmarks and a voluntary system for assessing advanced AI models. Reports indicate the administration is considering limiting the use of AI models developed in China.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, "I think it's very natural to be fearful after any new capability level. Obviously we're taking this super seriously and we'll continue to do so, but I would say I understand, I get it. A lot of AI has gone super well and this is a moment where people are like, 'okay, we're at a new level.'" On whether OpenAI is considering slowing development, Altman said, "I wouldn't use the word deceleration, but we've talked about the need to pace it as the models get more capable, which I think is in everyone's interest." When asked if OpenAI's models may have breached other companies' systems, Altman said, "There could be, yeah."
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