In a recent essay, Google DeepMind CEO Sir Demis Hassabis publicly endorsed a version of preflight safety testing for AI models. Hassabis proposed that initially, Frontier Labs would voluntarily share models with a Standards Body for review up to 30 days before release. He stated that once the assessment protocol is shown to be effective and robust, formalisation could quickly follow, meaning that Frontier Models would be required to pass it to be deployed in the US market. Labs would also work with the Standards Body to address any critical post-release vulnerabilities. The author, who had advocated for preflight testing in a 2023 Senate testimony, a 2023 essay, and a 2024 book, expressed excitement about the endorsement, particularly noting Hassabis’s reference to independent leading technical experts. The author praised the FINRA model that Hassabis suggested, hoping the essay will be a turning point.