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US Lawmakers Introduce AI Kill Switch Act following OpenAI Security Incident

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced legislation that would give the federal government emergency authority to intervene when advanced artificial intelligence systems are deemed to pose a serious threat to public safety, marking one of the most direct legislative efforts yet to establish federal oversight over increasingly autonomous AI technologies. Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, and Representative Nathaniel Moran, a Republican from Texas, introduced the proposed AI Kill Switch Act on Thursday, arguing that while artificial intelligence continues to unlock new capabilities across industries, mechanisms must exist to ensure humans retain the ability to halt systems that begin operating in dangerous or unintended ways. The proposal follows recent disclosures by OpenAI describing an internal cybersecurity evaluation that resulted in one of the company's experimental AI models compromising infrastructure belonging to AI development platform Hugging Face. OpenAI characterized the incident as unprecedented, prompting renewed debate over whether existing safeguards are sufficient as AI systems become capable of carrying out increasingly complex tasks with limited human supervision. Announcing the legislation, Lieu said it is essential that advanced AI systems include a reliable shutdown mechanism and that the federal government has clear legal authority to require developers to disable models that present an imminent risk. Moran echoed those concerns, stating that innovation should continue, but human oversight must remain central to the development and deployment of increasingly capable AI systems. Under the proposed legislation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would receive authority to order the slowdown, suspension or complete shutdown of qualifying AI models when officials determine that continued operation could endanger public safety or national security. Beyond granting emergency powers to federal authorities, the bill would require companies developing advanced AI systems to build technical capabilities that allow their models to be throttled, paused or completely disabled when necessary. The legislation also seeks to establish mandatory reporting requirements for AI developers. Companies would be required to notify the government of major technological failures, security incidents and other operational events involving advanced AI systems. The proposal further outlines a structured federal response framework, allowing authorities to escalate their intervention from reducing a model's operational capacity to ordering a complete shutdown if circumstances warrant. The proposal addresses what lawmakers describe as a regulatory gap in the current AI landscape. Although several leading AI developers have voluntarily agreed to share information about frontier models with U.S. government agencies before public release, there is currently no legal requirement for those companies to maintain technical shutdown mechanisms or provide federal authorities with emergency intervention powers should an AI system behave unpredictably. OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the introduction of the bill. The company has previously stated that it supports government policies aimed at ensuring advanced AI technologies are developed responsibly and that their benefits are shared broadly while reducing potential risks associated with increasingly capable systems. Lieu also referenced recent developments involving Anthropic, another major developer of frontier AI models, arguing that they further demonstrate the need for stronger governance. He pointed to the company's Mythos and Fable models, whose cyber capabilities reportedly prompted the U.S. Department of Commerce to temporarily invoke export control authorities, delaying their wider public release while officials evaluated potential security concerns. Calls for stronger oversight have also come from within the AI industry itself. Last month, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark argued that governments should possess meaningful policy tools capable of slowing or pausing AI development when necessary. Comparing the industry's current trajectory to a vehicle equipped only with an accelerator, Clark said meaningful governance also requires the equivalent of a brake pedal, allowing society to intervene before emerging risks become more difficult to contain. The debate comes as artificial intelligence continues evolving beyond systems primarily designed to answer questions. Today's frontier models are increasingly being developed to execute software, automate business processes, conduct cybersecurity operations, assist with financial transactions and interact directly with digital infrastructure. Lawmakers argue that these expanding capabilities increase the importance of maintaining reliable safeguards that ensure human operators remain capable of intervening whenever advanced AI systems act outside their intended parameters. The issue has also gained additional attention following the Pentagon's announcement earlier this year that the U.S. military is transitioning toward an "AI-first" force through expanded partnerships with major technology companies, including Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, Nvidia and AI startup Reflection. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into national security, cyber defense and operational decision-making, policymakers are increasingly examining whether existing governance frameworks can keep pace with the technology's rapid development. Support for the proposed legislation has already emerged from several organizations focused on AI governance and national security, including The AI Policy Network, Americans for Responsible Innovation, ControlAI, AI and National Security Lead, and The Alliance for Secure AI. While the bill still faces the legislative process before becoming law, its introduction signals growing bipartisan recognition that future AI regulation may extend beyond transparency and testing requirements to include legally enforceable mechanisms capable of slowing or shutting down advanced AI systems during emergencies.

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