US Senate Weighs 'Duty of Care' Rules for AI Developers
US senators are debating legislation that would require AI companies to show they are taking reasonable precautions to prevent harm, even as President Trump suggests existing laws suffice.
US Senate negotiators are discussing legislation that would oblige artificial intelligence companies to demonstrate they are taking reasonable precautions to prevent their tools from causing harm, according to a Senate aide and a lobbyist briefed on the talks.
The measure under debate would grant the US commerce secretary authority to request evidence that AI developers are taking reasonable steps to avoid harm — a standard described as a "duty of care" — and to send government auditors to test companies' products directly. What would count as "reasonable" has not yet been established.
The talks involve Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz and Senator Amy Klobuchar, the leading Democrat in the negotiations. Spokespeople for Thune and Cruz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"I'm continuing to work toward a bipartisan agreement on legislation for government oversight of the greatest risks posed by AI models," Klobuchar said in a statement. "That includes requiring developers to work with government experts to verify and test models to make sure AI is safe."
The push follows a week of heightened concern about AI risks. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said he had resigned, in part because the "people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." AI-related stocks fell worldwide on Monday after leaders of some of the industry's largest companies called for slowing the pace of the technology's development.
Even if Congress approves the legislation, it faces long odds of becoming law. President Donald Trump said on Monday that existing authorities already provide adequate tools to regulate and prosecute tech companies, suggesting he would not sign a bill setting new rules for AI.