US Senate negotiators consider requiring AI firms to mitigate known major risks
XLK•Legislative timing remains tight
Even if negotiators reach agreement, the congressional calendar will complicate passage. The House of Representatives is scheduled to be in session for only one week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, while the Senate is expected to be in Washington for three weeks.
The proposal is being discussed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz and Senator Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat involved in the negotiations. The Senate Commerce Committee has oversight of the U.S. Commerce Department, the agency with in-house AI safety researchers. Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, has also weighed in on the legislation.
State laws and advanced models could be affected
Part of the measure would also block states from enforcing their own laws governing certain risks posed by AI models, according to the two Senate aides. One of them gave a few examples of such risks, including the possibility that a bad actor could use an AI system to design nuclear or biological weapons.
