U.S. AI policy

The company proposes an independent, federally supervised organization to set safety standards and audit the most advanced AI models, while recommending separate policies for everyday AI applications.

 

Google is the latest frontier AI developer to publish recommendations for U.S. AI governance, calling for the creation of a new independent organization to oversee the nation’s most advanced AI systems while proposing targeted policy changes for widely used AI applications. The recommendations are in the company’s new paper, A Pragmatic Approach to AI Governance in America.

At the center of Google’s proposal is the creation of a frontier AI regulatory organization, or FARO. The industry-funded organization would operate under federal oversight. It would develop safety standards, establish scientific benchmarks for frontier AI capabilities, oversee independent audits, and review how developers manage risks before releasing their most advanced AI models. Google compares the concept to existing industry organizations that operate under government supervision, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Google argues that frontier AI systems capable of assisting advanced cyber or weapons-related threats require a different regulatory approach than consumer AI tools. 

For Frontier AI, Google recommends:

• Creating a federally supervised frontier AI regulatory organization.
• Establishing scientific benchmarks to identify frontier AI capabilities.
• Developing common safety and security standards for frontier AI developers.
• Requiring annual independent audits of frontier AI companies.
• Requiring developers to publish and follow documented safety and security policies.
• Expanding transparency and incident reporting for the most advanced AI models.
• Continuing early access programs that allow the U.S. government to evaluate frontier models with significant national security implications.

The paper also recommends tailoring AI regulation based on the type of system and its level of risk, rather than applying a single set of rules across all uses. For widely used applications such as chatbots and productivity tools, Google argues that policymakers should rely on and update existing laws where possible rather than create entirely new regulations. The company says this approach would address specific risks without overregulating lower-risk systems.

Google also outlines several targeted policy priorities for widely used AI applications, including:

• Additional investment in workforce training and AI skills
• New child safety requirements for AI chatbots
• Expansion of U.S. energy infrastructure to support AI data centers
• Federal requirements for AI watermarking and content provenance standards
• Continued reliance on existing copyright law alongside creator licensing agreements
• Broader adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies

Google is not the first frontier AI developer to publicly propose AI governance policies. In recent weeks, OpenAI published a federal AI governance blueprint focused on national AI infrastructure and regulatory coordination. At the same time, Anthropic released policy recommendations emphasizing stronger oversight of frontier AI systems and independent testing of the most capable models.

Google said its proposal is intended to promote what it describes as a middle path between broad AI regulation and limited government oversight. The company argues that an independent organization operating under federal supervision could adapt more quickly than traditional regulatory agencies while providing consistent safety expectations for frontier AI developers.