Samuel Vance-Law, head of research at the Decentralization Research Center, argues that the September 29 accord in which six leading AI companies promised the White House independent audits will have little value unless auditors can choose what they test. The accord does not specify who selects the auditors, what they can examine, whether findings are public, or any penalty for non-compliance. Citing Enron and Arthur Andersen, he argues that companies choosing and paying their own auditors can undermine independence, which led to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. He also notes that voluntary commitments from 2023 performed poorly, with 16 companies averaging 53% against those pledges. He recommends that auditors choose what they test and that companies disclose who their auditors are and what the audits covered.
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