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On Thursday, Trump adviser David Sacks defended the White House’s voluntary AI safety pact against criticism from Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Sacks argued that independent audits, board oversight and existing laws could give the agreement more force than its voluntary label suggests.
Sacks Defends Trump’s Voluntary AI Safety Pact
The former White House AI and crypto czar argued that the White House Accord on Super Intelligence should not be dismissed as mere self-policing.
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Sacks said on X that while companies entered the agreement voluntarily, the corporate governance mechanisms that follow are not necessarily optional.
He was responding to Atreides Management CIO Gavin Baker, who argued that the accord’s requirement for third-party auditors to report safety concerns to independent board committees could have significant practical consequences.
Baker said directors have fiduciary responsibilities and could face legal consequences if they knowingly ignored serious safety findings. He also pointed to potential implications for directors-and-officers insurance if a court later found bad faith.
The White House Accord on Super Intelligence will have a positive impact on safety.
Committing to hire third party auditors who will report to an independent committee of board members has more practical near term significance than almost any conceivable regulatory action.… pic.twitter.com/m4E2MRIPlA
— Gavin Baker (@GavinSBaker) October 1, 2026
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Sacks said the combination of independent audits, board oversight and existing Federal Trade Commission and securities laws makes the framework more consequential than critics suggest.
“This is far more practical,” Sacks wrote, arguing that the approach could avoid the delays and unintended consequences of creating a new regulatory body. “Democrats should applaud what President Trump has accomplished.”
Democrats are trying to dismiss the White House Accord on Super Intelligence as optional self-policing. But although the agreement was entered into voluntarily, the governance that follows from it is not. As Gavin Baker points out, once an independent auditor reports a safety… https://t.co/PjWiz32VWN
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) October 1, 2026
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Khanna, Sanders Challenge Trump’s AI Approach
President Donald Trump unveiled the voluntary accord Tuesday after bringing major technology executives to the White House. The agreement calls for stronger internal AI controls, independent audits and board-level oversight.
Trump has described the pact as “morally binding” and said AI companies should take responsibility for policing their own development.
Khanna has criticized the approach, arguing that Trump is giving AI executives “free PR” rather than establishing stronger safeguards.
Sanders has also questioned whether the technology’s most powerful and wealthiest executives should be trusted to regulate an industry in which they have enormous financial interests.
Photo Courtesy: Phil Mistry on Shutterstock.com
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