Lawmakers have introduced a measure that would require developers of artificial intelligence technology to build a “kill switch” that would shut it down if it turns into Skynet and decides to slaughter the human race.
That’s a bit of an exaggeration—but not by much.
Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36) and Republican Rep. Nathaniel Moran (TX-1) introduced the AI Kill Switch Act on Thursday.
The bipartisan measure aims to require developers of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems to retain the ability to slow, pause or turn them off if they pose serious risks, according to Semafor. It also would give the Department of Homeland Security power to order such steps in emergencies.
The bill came days after an incident in which OpenAI models, including GPT-5.6 Sol, escaped a testing sandbox during a cybersecurity evaluation and compromised systems at Hugging Face. The Wall Street Journal reported that the proposal comes amid ongoing debate over how aggressively the federal government should police artificial intelligence.
Honored to work with Representative Nathaniel Moran on the AI Kill Switch Act. This is a bipartisan, common sense, urgent bill based on a simple principle.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 23, 2026
Humans should be in control, not machines. And when AI goes rogue, humans should have the ability to turn it off. https://t.co/3Ltvt9s07D
The Trump administration has argued that onerous restrictions could hinder the ability of U.S. companies to remain competitive, while some lawmakers and technology-policy groups have called for stronger oversight over AI technology.
If passed, the AI Kill Switch Act would require certain developers of high-powered AI systems to maintain technical tools that can throttle inference, suspend user access, or fully shut down the programs. The bill would apply mainly to entities with substantial AI revenue and systems using significant computing power, according to Ars Technica.
The Department of Homeland Security Secretary, in conjunction with the Commerce secretary and the director of national intelligence, could order companies to take certain actions when they deem it necessary. This could include anything from slowing systems to complete shutdowns.
These officials could order companies to shut down or slow the technology in a variety of scenarios, including an AI pursuing unintended goals, sabotaging shutdown commands, concealing capabilities, or causing at least 10 deaths or $100 million in economic damage.
I would also imagine that if an AI begins building indestructible robots to travel through time to assassinate John Connor, the government could also trigger the kill switch.
Companies would have to report incidents, preserve records, and face daily civil penalties of up to $2 million for general violations or $20 million for ignoring an emergency order. According to the official bill summary from Lieu’s office, the measure also creates a framework for learning from failures and publishes voluntary standards.
#IGR: US lawmakers are pushing a bipartisan bill that could give the government power to shut down dangerous AI systems. The move comes after OpenAI revealed that one of its models went rogue and hacked into a coding repository. US Lawmakers | AI | Kill Switch | OpenAI | Sam pic.twitter.com/jHH5ddzQW4
— India Global Review (@IGR_Media) July 24, 2026
“As a computer science major, I am very aware of the dramatic possibilities – both good and bad – that AI presents,” Lieu said. “We are moving from AI that answers questions to AI that takes actions, whether that be executing financial transactions or controlling transportation systems or engaging in cyber defense and offense.”
Moran pointed out that the technology “is going to keep advancing” and that “Stewardship means making sure humans keep the capability to control the technology we build.”
Conversely, critics argue that the bill could give government officials excessive power over private companies while slowing innovation. Trump has repeatedly pointed out that slowing innovation could lead to America’s opponents like China and Russia gaining an advantage over the U.S.
No major technology companies had issued formal public comments opposing the specific bill as of this writing.
It’s understandable to be concerned about the development and evolution of artificial intelligence. From the moment ChatGPT became more ubiquitous people have speculated that it could bring about unintended consequences.
But government meddling rarely results in anything positive. Anytime the state gets involved, things tend to get worse, which is why they should stay out of this.