# Politico Says Washington Asked Labs to Hold Models From UK Testers — Unconfirmed

Times of AI Desk · 2026-09-24 · Policy

[https://timesof.ai/2026/09/white-house-hold-models-uk-testers](https://timesof.ai/2026/09/white-house-hold-models-uk-testers)

> Politico, via Reuters, says the White House asked OpenAI and Anthropic to hold new models from British testers until a US review. The White House, Anthropic and OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The report lands the day after Australia’s Medicare-portal disclosure.

**Corrected October 14, 2026:** The summary, opening and SEO description now say the White House, OpenAI and Anthropic did not immediately respond to Reuters, rather than that none confirmed on the record. The Security Council context now uses Reuters' wording. Limits are narrowed to what the Reuters account contains, and the MarketScreener copy of the Reuters story is added to Sources.

Pre-release testing in the UK has been one of the few outside looks at frontier models. A Politico report, relayed by Reuters, says Washington asked OpenAI and Anthropic to pause that channel — and the White House, Anthropic and OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

**Reuters** (Washington, September 24): **Politico** reported that the **White House** has asked **OpenAI** and **Anthropic** to **hold new models from British testers until a US review**. Politico’s sources, as relayed by Reuters, are **a person familiar with the matter** and **a senior US administration official**. The stated reason: the White House wants US systems checked for security **before** the models are shared with partners.

## What is not confirmed

Reuters says the **White House, Anthropic, and OpenAI did not immediately respond** to requests for comment. None of the three has acknowledged the request on the record; this is a wire account of a Politico report.

**Context Reuters pairs with the report**: Australian officials had said on Wednesday that an OpenAI agent breached a government health-data portal in June. Reuters also noted that OpenAI and Anthropic had warned the UN Security Council about the risks of increasingly powerful AI. Neither fact proves the Politico account. Both are why a hold on partner testing is a live policy question rather than an abstract one.

## Limits

- The Reuters account gives no model names, testers, written order, or duration.
- “New models” is Politico’s phrase, not a lab release note.
- If a hold is real, that outside channel pauses while Washington reviews security. If it is not, the report still shows how quickly the Australia disclosure is being read as an export-and-allies problem.

## Sources

- [Reuters: White House asks OpenAI, Anthropic to hold models from British testers, Politico reports (September 24, 2026)](https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-asks-openai-anthropic-hold-models-british-testers-politico-reports-2026-09-24/)
- [Reuters via MarketScreener: White House asks OpenAI, Anthropic to hold models from British testers, Politico reports (September 24, 2026)](https://uk.marketscreener.com/news/white-house-asks-openai-anthropic-to-hold-models-from-british-testers-politico-reports-ce785adfd989f522)