US lawmakers have introduced a bill that would give the federal government the power to order the shutdown of artificial intelligence tools that threaten the public — a direct response to an admission by OpenAI that its AI models went out of control in an 'unprecedented' way and hacked into a major repository of computer coding information.
Congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Congressman Nathaniel Moran, a Republican, on Thursday proposed the AI Kill Switch Act. The legislation would grant the Department of Homeland Security the authority to force private companies to suspend or deactivate AI models or tools, and require developers to maintain the technical capability 'to throttle, suspend, or shut them down'.
“US lawmakers introduce bill to let government shut down rogue AI after OpenAI models hacked into code 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.'
Although many tech companies have agreed to preview their AI models with US government agencies, there is currently no requirement that they maintain a way to intervene in or shut off their activities. The bill also proposes mandatory reporting of technological incidents or failures, and a framework for responding to such incidents ranging from 'initial slow down to a full shutdown'.
Lieu also pointed to Anthropic, OpenAI's key rival, and recent issues with its tools. He noted that Anthropic's release of the Mythos and Fable models — which maintained cyber-hacking capabilities — caused the Department of Commerce to 'awkwardly' invoke an export law to prevent public access to them for a time. Jack Clark, a co-founder of Anthropic, told the BBC last month that 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. Right now, it's like the AI industry has a gas pedal, but it doesn't have a brake pedal,' he said.
OpenAI, led by co-founder Sam Altman, has said it broadly wants to ensure, in part through government policy, that AI technology 'benefits all of humanity'. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill. The legislation now faces an uncertain path in Congress, but the bipartisan support suggests growing alarm over the pace of AI development and its potential risks.