  To address security and safety risks stemming from highly capable artificial
intelligence (AI) models, we propose that the US government should ensure
compute providers implement Know-Your-Customer (KYC) schemes. Compute - the
computational power and infrastructure required to train and run these AI
models - is emerging as a node for oversight. KYC, a standard developed by the
banking sector to identify and verify client identity, could provide a
mechanism for greater public oversight of frontier AI development and close
loopholes in existing export controls. Such a scheme has the potential to
identify and warn stakeholders of potentially problematic and/or sudden
advancements in AI capabilities, build government capacity for AI regulation,
and allow for the development and implementation of more nuanced and targeted
export controls. Unlike the strategy of limiting access to AI chip purchases,
regulating the digital access to compute offers more precise controls, allowing
regulatory control over compute quantities, as well as the flexibility to
suspend access at any time. To enact a KYC scheme, the US government will need
to work closely with industry to (1) establish a dynamic threshold of compute
that effectively captures high-risk frontier model development, while
minimizing imposition on developers not engaged in frontier AI; (2) set
requirements and guidance for compute providers to keep records and report
high-risk entities; (3) establish government capacity that allows for
co-design, implementation, administration and enforcement of the scheme; and
(4) engage internationally to promote international alignment with the scheme
and support its long-term efficacy. While the scheme will not address all AI
risks, it complements proposed solutions by allowing for a more precise and
flexible approach to controlling the development of frontier AI models and
unwanted AI proliferation.
