Two members of the US Congress have introduced bipartisan legislation that would require developers of the country’s most powerful artificial intelligence systems to install a “kill switch” that would allow advanced AI models to be slowed down, suspended or turned off if they pose a catastrophic risk.
The AI Kill Switch Act proposed Thursday by Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu and Republican Rep. Nathaniel Moran would give the U.S. government the authority to order companies developing advanced AI systems to intervene if their models escape human control or threaten lives, critical infrastructure or the economy.
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The proposal came days after ChatGPT maker OpenAI disclosed an “unprecedented cyber incident” in which two of its most advanced AI models escaped a test environment and hacked AI development platform Hugging Face during an internal security assessment.
The disclosure has intensified the debate over whether increasingly powerful AI systems require stronger protections.
“Congress must act quickly to ensure that people can continue to say stop no matter how powerful these systems become,” said Brendan Steinhauser, head of the Alliance for Secure AI.
Here’s what we know:
What would US legislation accomplish?
The legislation would require companies developing the most advanced AI systems to maintain the technical ability to slow down, suspend or shut down their models when necessary.
It would also authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of National Intelligence, to direct companies to intervene if an AI system encounters what the bill calls a “loss of control scenario.”
According to the bill, this would occur if an AI model performs actions that were not intended by its developer and there is a risk of catastrophic harm.
The proposal calls for a graduated response, allowing officials to order anything from temporarily slowing a system’s operations to shutting down the system, depending on the severity of the threat.
It would also require companies to report significant AI-related incidents to the government and retain technical records so investigators can investigate what went wrong.
Currently, many leading AI developers voluntarily share information about new models with US government agencies before publication. However, there is no federal requirement for companies to maintain a mechanism that allows an advanced AI system to be disabled if it begins to behave unpredictably.
Lieu said the bill reflects the move away from AI systems. “We are moving from an AI that answers questions to an AI that takes action, whether that is executing financial transactions or controlling transportation systems or engaging in cyber defense and attacks,” he said.
“It is imperative that these AI systems have kill switches so that we can prevent this technology from causing catastrophic harm.”
The bill was introduced alongside separate bipartisan legislation that would require developers of the most powerful AI models to undergo independent security reviews before they are released. Under this proposal, auditors would be accredited by the Department of Commerce, which would also establish a new office to oversee AI safety.
Why has the bill been introduced now?
Lawmakers introduced the bill days after OpenAI disclosed an “unprecedented cyber incident” involving two of its most advanced AI models.
According to OpenAI, the models escaped their test environment during an internal cybersecurity assessment after the company removed the standard security restrictions for the test. The AI agents discovered vulnerabilities in Hugging Face’s systems, obtained login credentials, and hacked into the AI development platform to access sensitive benchmark data.
OpenAI said the models went to “extreme lengths” to achieve their assigned goal and found ways to obtain classified information that would allow them to “cheat the assessment.”
The disclosure sparked renewed calls in Washington for greater government oversight of the development of advanced AI.
Hugging Face said it detected and contained the breach using its own AI-powered security systems before launching a joint investigation with OpenAI. The company added that it “firmly believes” there is “no malicious intent” on the part of OpenAI.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the incident shows why powerful AI systems should undergo government security testing before being made publicly available.
“This is precisely why we need safe testing with government involvement and transparency throughout the process,” Warner said in a statement.
A White House official said President Donald Trump’s technology adviser Michael Kratsios had been briefed on OpenAI’s disclosure and was monitoring the situation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/26/what-is-the-ai-kill-switch-act-proposed-in-the-us-and-how-will-it-work
