Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic working to launch independent AI safety standards body

The three companies building the most powerful AI systems on the planet have decided they should probably agree on some ground rules. Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic have been in working-group discussions since July 2026 to establish an independent, industry-led body focused on AI safety standards, with a target launch window of 2026 or 2027. The goal: shared protocols for evaluating advanced frontier models, independent safety assessments, and pre-release checks before these systems reach the public. What’s on the table Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei laid out the intellectual case for the effort in a September 12, 2026, essay that called for external evaluators to play a central role in AI safety. His argument centers on the pace of AI development, which has consistently outrun the ability of any single company, or any government, to keep up with safety implications. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has echoed the sentiment, framing independent industry standards as a necessity given how slowly government regulation has moved. OpenAI’s global policy chief Chris Lehane confirmed on September 15 that coordination among the three firms has been a strong focus, and pushed back on the idea tha...