Sen. John Kennedy plans to introduce a bill that would require companies to build a “kill switch” into their artificial intelligence models, he told reporters. It comes as pressure mounts on Congress to regulate the risky technology and tech leaders call for an industry slowdown.
The Louisiana Republican intends to introduce the bill under unanimous consent Wednesday. “That’s the only way you’re going to get anything done, we’re not going to get anything done for the next two and a half weeks,” he said. There are currently no cosponsors for the bill.
Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) introduced their own AI “kill switch” bill in July, which would allow the government to order top AI firms to shut down or slow AI models it deems too dangerous and require companies to report incidents.
Kennedy stressed his bill would not permit the government to halt these powerful AI systems. “If I put the federal government in charge of the kill switch, it won’t pass, and the president will probably veto it. The president is not too keen on AI regulation,” he said Monday.
President Donald Trump blasted safety and security concerns around AI as a “HOAX” in a series of posts Monday in an apparent effort to kill the growing push for guardrails in Washington.
