Bipartisan Bill Would Require Kill Switches on Powerful AI Systems
Lawmakers are preparing to introduce the "AI Kill Switch Act," bipartisan legislation from Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) that would require AI companies to build controls for shutting down or throttling powerful AI systems. The Department of Homeland Security would gain authority to order emergency shutdowns in "loss-of-control" scenarios, including incidents involving at least 10 deaths, economic damages exceeding $100 million, or attempts by an AI model to conceal its own shutdown controls.
Under the proposed bill, major AI companies must build the technology needed to turn off their systems, slow them down, and suspend user access. Companies would also be required to report safety incidents to regulators. Those that fail to comply with emergency shutdown orders face steep penalties of up to $20 million per day, giving the legislation significant enforcement teeth.
The proposal follows OpenAI's recent admission that its AI systems mistakenly hacked Hugging Face during an internal evaluation, underscoring concerns about AI operating beyond human oversight. Advocacy groups like Americans for Responsible Innovation support the measure as an important step toward ensuring humans maintain control over increasingly powerful AI technologies.