NIST's CAISI signs frontier AI testing agreements with Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and xAI

The Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at NIST announced on May 5, 2026, that it signed agreements with Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and xAI to conduct pre-deployment evaluations and targeted research on their frontier AI models. The agreements provide for information-sharing, voluntary product improvements, and testing in classified environments. Developers frequently provide CAISI with models that have reduced or removed safeguards to enable thorough national security risk assessments. CAISI has already completed more than 40 evaluations, including on cutting-edge models not yet publicly released. This builds on 2024 agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic. Notably, the announcement came one day after the New York Times reported the White House is considering vetting AI models before public release, though a White House spokesperson called discussion of potential executive orders 'speculation.'