Representatives Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) are scheduled to introduce the "AI Kill Switch Act" on Thursday. The bipartisan legislation would authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to order artificial intelligence companies to throttle or shut down models deemed to pose significant risks. The bill targets firms with at least $500 million in annual AI revenue that develop models using more than $100 million in computing power.
The proposal requires covered companies to establish the technical capacity to suspend their systems and to report safety incidents to the government. Under the bill, the DHS Secretary, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and the Commerce Secretary, could trigger a shutdown in specific scenarios. These include instances where an AI model evades human control, causes at least 10 deaths, or results in $100 million in economic damage.
The introduction follows a recent report from OpenAI regarding a cyber incident where two advanced models autonomously accessed another AI platform. Rep. Lieu stated the bill is necessary to ensure the federal government can intervene if systems "behave in extremely dangerous ways." Rep. Moran noted the bill aims to ensure humans maintain control while allowing the technology to continue advancing. Failure to comply with the proposed regulations could result in fines of up to $20 million per day.