Lawmakers prepare bill requiring AI ‘kill switch’

The legislation would force tech companies to build controls to shut down or throttle powerful AI systems.

Lawmakers are preparing to introduce an “AI Kill Switch Act” that would require AI companies to shut down or throttle their systems on orders from the Department of Homeland Security, according to a report from Politico . Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) are expected to introduce the legislation on Thursday.

The news of the proposed bill follows OpenAI’s admission that its AI systems mistakenly hacked Hugging Face during an internal evaluation. The bill says that, after consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the DHS would have the ability to order AI companies to shut down their models in “loss-of-control” scenarios involving the deaths of at least 10 people, economic damages of more than $100 million, or attempts by the model to conceal shutdown controls.

At the same time, major AI companies would be required to build the technology required to turn off their systems, slow them down, and suspend user access. They would also have to report safety incidents, with violations of emergency shutdown orders reaching up to $20 million per day.

Brad Carson, the president of the nonprofit Americans for Responsible Innovation, said in a statement that the proposal “is an important step toward ensuring that humans have both hands firmly on the wheel — and a foot ready at the brake — as advanced AI systems are deployed.”