REPORTED: One outlet, The Information, citing an anonymous White House official, relayed by Reuters. Not independently confirmed. The White House and Commerce Department could not be immediately reached.
President Donald Trump’s administration “is planning to move three senior officials from the Center for Advancing Innovation and Standards for Super Intelligence (CAISSI) to the White House”, Reuters reports, citing news website The Information, which in turn cited a White House official [1][2].
CAISSI is a unit of the US Commerce Department that tests advanced AI models. Reuters describes it as a unit “that evaluates advanced AI models for safety and capabilities” [1].
Who they would report to
The three officials, “whose names have not been disclosed, will report to” Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, according to the report [1].
Six months ago, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick invited Kratsios and Cairncross “to co-manage CAISSI”, the report said, citing a senior Commerce Department official [1].
The reason given
A White House official told The Information that “coordination problems with the Commerce Department highlighted the need for CAISSI’s leadership to be moved closer to the White House’s AI decision-making process”, Reuters reports [1].
Reuters says CAISSI “plays a role in the administration’s framework for testing frontier AI systems before deployment” [1].
No official comment
“The White House and Commerce Department could not be immediately reached for comment,” Reuters said [1]. The Information’s full article is behind a paywall, and TSN has not been able to read it directly.
Sources
- Reuters via CNA, “US AI testing agency officials to move to White House, The Information reports”, 12 October 2026. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/trump-administration-plans-move-ai-testing-agency-officials-white-house-information-reports-6454176
- The Information (Leo Schwartz), “Trump Administration Plans to Move AI Testing Agency Officials to White House” (paywalled). https://www.theinformation.com/articles/trump-administration-plans-move-ai-testing-agency-officials-white-house
