Startup Recursive has released Flint, an open-weight AI coding model that its chief executive Richard Socher says was largely developed by AI. Socher says the company's Eureka Machine automated most steps of the model's development, letting a small team build a model he claims outperforms similar-sized models on coding tasks. Socher says the system is overseen by humans who could stop the process. Some experts warn that self-improving AI could become dangerous, and several bills in Congress propose banning the approach. A reporter who tested Flint on a personal computer found it fast and capable at coding tasks.
Anthropic has reportedly circulated a draft AI safety bill that Congress could consider, according to Politico. The proposal would allow a model's release to be halted where an imminent risk threatens more than 50 deaths or over a billion dollars in property damage. Such risks would need to involve a biological weapon, a model escaping its developer's controls, or a cyberattack. Independent evaluators, registered with the U.S. Commerce Department, would assess models and could be paid by the labs, provided payment is not tied to results.
Anthropic is giving six researchers from METR, a nonprofit that tests frontier AI models, employee-level access to independently assess its models, safety practices and risk management. The company said in a blog post on Thursday that METR will publish its own assessments and cannot be blocked from doing so. Anthropic can redact information only in narrow, pre-defined categories, such as customer data or model architectures. METR is currently the top tier of a three-tier evaluator system. The move follows a promise by Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei to embed outside evaluators inside AI labs.
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OpenAI and Anthropic told a British parliamentary committee that voluntary pledges are not enough and that new laws are needed for AI safety. Google DeepMind and Meta declined to back new legislation, with Meta pointing to existing regulators. Committee chair Liam Byrne said the hearing showed the wide differences between the firms. British officials conceded that the current AI testing regime is voluntary, as companies choose whether to hand over their models. A former OpenAI staffer said companies cannot be trusted to self-regulate.
Senator David Pocock has raised concerns that an adviser to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reviewed a draft of an artificial intelligence committee's early advice before it was sent. Committee chair Jo Briskey, a Labor MP, said she engaged with the prime minister's office while finalising the advice. Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam, the deputy chair, said there was no interference. The committee recommends independent safety checks for AI companies, early access to new models for security agencies, and a review of copyright settings. Its final report is due in November.
Microsoft president Brad Smith has called for urgent global regulation of artificial intelligence. Speaking on a BBC podcast, he said the United Kingdom, rather than the United States or European Union, is best placed to lead on safety rules. He said voluntary commitments from tech firms would only be followed by responsible companies. Smith backed a legal duty to alert organisations after a breach by rogue AI agents, outside evaluation before release, and kill switches. Britain's AI Security Institute continues to test the latest models, despite US president Donald Trump's reported request to withhold them.
