Officials at the Commerce Department’s AI safety center were recently asked to report informally to a White House office, according to a November 8, 2026, Associated Press report. AP cited two former government officials familiar with the ongoing conversations who spoke anonymously to avoid repercussions for current staffers. Source
The center is called the Center for Advancing Innovation and Standards for Super Intelligence, or CAISSI. The report doesn’t identify the White House office, spell out the reporting obligations or establish that a formal reorganization has taken place. Source
Critics told AP they worry political influence could reach decisions involving cybersecurity and bioweapons, and that findings could be altered or muted in deference to the technology industry. Source
Caroline Siegel Singh, an AI and emerging technology program manager at the Federation of American Scientists, argued for nonpartisan or bipartisan technical experts making policy in the public interest. Others argue that closer ties to President Donald Trump could give the small division more prominence and perhaps more funding, AP reported. Source
The White House didn’t answer AP’s specific questions about CAISSI. Its statement instead pointed to Trump’s establishment of a Super Intelligence Force and a commissioned risk report from his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Source
A small budget and a revolving director’s chair
CAISSI is allocated $10 million annually, about one-eighth its UK counterpart’s budget, according to AP. A director hired in April 2026 was fired within days, and his replacement resigned after a few months. At the time of AP’s report, the center lacked a permanent leader, with the head of its parent institute serving as acting director. Source
AP reported that Congress began asking in August 2026 why the center had stopped making public its reports on how safely certain AI systems were performing. Source
