Yesterday the US Department of Commerce announced that Google, Microsoft, and xAI have agreed to let the government test their AI models before release. The program runs through something called CAISI — the Center for AI Standards and Innovation. They will be looking at cybersecurity risks, biosecurity, chemical weapons, all the fun stuff. OpenAI and Anthropic already signed similar agreements back in 2024 under Biden. Those have now been "renegotiated" — nobody is saying what changed. My first reaction was: oh good, finally. My second reaction was: wait a minute. Let me explain why this feels complicated. Trump spent months arguing that AI regulation would hurt American innovation and help China catch up. His AI National Policy Framework from March literally says the US will "remove barriers to innovation" and "accelerate" AI deployment. Congress is not creating any new regulatory body. Instead, existing agencies are supposed to handle it. And now, two months later, here we are. Government testing.…