OpenAI: Trump's AI Accord Needs More Detail, Semafor Reports
AI firms are courting the White House while bracing for a Congress that may soon be run by Democrats.
October 2, 2026 - 10:55 am
President Donald Trump hosts a luncheon on superintelligence with tech executives in the East Room of the White House on 29 September 2026.
Credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok
According to Semafor, Ashley Gold reported that one of the firms that signed the new AI industry pact with Donald Trump believes it's just a starting point.
“Companies are going to have to make it more specific, on how they’re going to operationalize it,” said Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer.
TNW, owned by Tekpon, where OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are listed, was among the signatories along with Meta, Nvidia, Google, xAI, and Anthropic. Microsoft and Amazon did not sign.
A Pact With No Teeth
The one-page accord, signed at the White House on Tuesday, asks companies to establish four layers of safety checks, including external auditors. However, it carries no penalties, and audit results need not be made public, Al Jazeera reported.
Despite this, Trump still termed it "morally binding".
Lehane stated that OpenAI prioritizes safety for its own interests, as people need to trust the safety of its products.
Eyeing the Midterms
Firms are also anticipating a shift in Washington, expecting Democrats to win the House, and possibly the Senate, in November. This could lead to increased pressure for AI regulations and closer scrutiny of the companies' operations.
Anthropic finds itself in a peculiar position. A federal appeals court recently upheld the Pentagon's designation of the company as a supply chain risk. Just days later, CEO Dario Amodei dined with Trump at the White House. The administration has frequently ridiculed Anthropic's focus on AI safety.
After the accord, Anthropic’s policy lead, Sarah Heck, took a tone that seemed to resonate with the White House:
“You can’t do safety from second place,” she posted.
She later emphasized the need for the US to stay ahead in AI development for safety reasons.
By Alina Maria Stan
Alina Maria Stan builds connections that people actually feel. As co-founder and COO of Tekpon, she turns product intuition into real moments of discovery, shaping how teams find and adopt SaaS every day. Since 2020, she has led Tekpon’s brand voice, media strategy, and growth plays with a clear focus on human outcomes behind every metric.
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