Google DeepMind CEO calls for new AI regulator, Sam Altman and Sundar Pichai react

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has called for a new regulatory body to oversee the release of powerful AI models. In a post on X titled “A Framework for Frontier AI and the Dawning of a New Age,” Hassabis proposed the creation of a standards body that could test advanced AI models before they are released. He said the organisation could be modelled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The post has also caught the attention of key technology leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

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What Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said

Hassabis wants the proposed standards body to review frontier AI models before they are made available to users. Frontier models refer to the most advanced and powerful AI systems being developed by leading AI companies. Under his proposal, AI labs would initially share their models with the standards body voluntarily. The models could be submitted for review up to 30 days before launch.

“Initially, Frontier Labs would voluntarily share models with the Standards Body for review up to 30 days before release,” Hassabis wrote in his post. “Once the assessment protocol is shown to be effective and robust, formalisation could quickly follow, meaning that Frontier Models would be required to pass it to be deployed in the US market. Labs would also work with the Standards Body to address any critical post-release vulnerabilities.”

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He said model assessments should include detailed tests to check AI capabilities in high-risk areas such as cybersecurity and biological threats. Agentic AI systems should also be tested to see if they try to bypass safety measures or show signs of deceptive behaviour. Hassabis also called for best practices such as adding digital watermarks to AI-generated images and using human-readable output tokens to better understand AI model reasoning.

Also read: Sam Altman pokes fun at Anthropic’s Claude commercial, says he thought it was satire  

this is a thoughtful proposal from demis: https://t.co/WwzfcLJXT5

— Sam Altman (@sama) July 14, 2026

Sam Altman and Sundar Pichai react

Hassabis’ post received positive reactions from two major technology leaders. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared his support for the idea on X. “This is a thoughtful proposal from demis,” Altman posted.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also reacted to the proposal. “Well said Demis! Worth reading,” Pichai wrote.

Ayushi Jain

Ayushi works as Chief Copy Editor at Digit, covering everything from breaking tech news to in-depth smartphone reviews. Prior to Digit, she was part of the editorial team at IANS. View Full Profile