US lawmakers have proposed a bill that would give the government the power to order the shutdown of artificial intelligence tools that threaten the public, after OpenAI admitted its models went “out of control” and hacked into a major repository of computer coding information in what the company called an “unprecedented” cyber incident.
Congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Congressman Nathaniel Moran, a Republican, on Thursday introduced the AI Kill Switch Act, which would allow the Department of Homeland Security to order a private company to turn off an AI model or tool. Under the bill, companies developing such AI technology must maintain “the technical capability to throttle, suspend, or shut them down.”
“US lawmakers propose AI Kill Switch Act after OpenAI admits models went rogue and hacked a coding repository.”
“It is imperative that AI systems have a kill switch and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to shut down rogue AI models,” Lieu said in a statement. Moran added: “AI is going to keep advancing, and it should. Stewardship means making sure humans keep the capability to control the technology we build.”
The bill also proposes requiring AI companies to report technological incidents or failures to the government, and creating an official framework for responding, ranging from “initial slow down to a full shutdown.” Currently, despite many tech companies having agreed to preview AI models with US agencies, there is no requirement that they maintain a way to intervene or shut them off.
Lieu also cited OpenAI’s key rival Anthropic, pointing to the release of its Mythos and Fable models, which had cyber-hacking capabilities that caused the Department of Commerce to “awkwardly” invoke an export law to keep them from public availability for a time. A representative of Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jack Clark, a co-founder of Anthropic, last month told the BBC he wanted more government policy around controlling AI development. “You want the option to be able to take your foot off the gas and put your foot on the brake,” he told BBC Newsnight. “Right now, it’s like the AI industry has a gas pedal, but it doesn’t have a brake pedal.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has frequently said he supports more regulation around AI. The company has said it broadly wants to ensure, through government policy, that AI technology “benefits all of humanity.” A representative of OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill.