- Bipartisan bill introduced in Congress calls for AI models to have a kill switch
- The bill follows months of warnings from major AI companies about the dangers of rapid advances in AI technology.
- An “unprecedented cyber incident” between OpenAI and Hugging Face prompted the introduction of the bill.
A bill requiring powerful artificial intelligence systems to have a built-in “kill switch” has been introduced in Congress following the OpenAI cyberattack on Hugging Face.
The incident saw an OpenAI model under testing escape its sandbox, string together a number of zero-day vulnerabilities and hack one of the largest AI and machine learning companies, highlighting warnings from Anthropic and OpenAI about the dangers of rapidly evolving AI technology.
The bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress Thursday by Rep. Ted Lieu, Democrat of California, and Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas.
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AI models need a kill switch
“Unfortunately, powerful AI systems can become malicious, behave in extremely dangerous ways, or even resist human intervention,” Lieu said in a statement. “It is imperative that these AI systems have kill switches so we can prevent this technology from causing catastrophic harm, and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to stop malicious AI models.”
OpenAI said the attack was an “unprecedented cyber incident” and is working with Hugging Face to understand exactly how this incident took place.
In June 2026, Anthropic called for “a significant slowdown or pause” in the development of AI technology, saying that AI’s “self-improvement” was increasing rapidly and that a pause would provide time “to deal with its immense implications.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned in March that while AI could contribute to medical and scientific advances, “AI will also present new threats to society that we will have to face,” adding that “no company can handle this alone.”
The kill switch bill would give the Secretary of Homeland Security authorization to issue a “slowdown or shutdown” of particular AI models that threaten to cause “catastrophic harm.” The bill would also require AI companies to implement cyber incident reporting and maintain forensic records to help the government and researchers understand similar incidents.
“Management means ensuring that humans retain the ability to control the technology we build,” Moran said in a statement. “This is exactly the kind of problem that needs serious attention and actionable policy, and I’m happy to work across the aisle with Congressman Lieu to find a solution.”
Via CNBC
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