Congress Introduces AI Kill Switch Bill After OpenAI Cybersecurity Incident
Techstrong.ai, Thursday, July 23rd, 2026
Proposed legislation would give DHS authority to shut down advanced AI systems posing safety or security threats.
Representatives Ted Lieu and Nathaniel Moran proposed the AI Kill Switch Act, requiring developers of powerful AI models to build technical mechanisms enabling throttling, suspension or shutdown by federal authorities.
The bill targets companies with $500 million or more in annual AI revenue or models costing $100 million or more to develop. Violations could bring civil fines reaching $2 million daily, with emergency shutdown non-compliance penalties up to $20 million daily.
The legislation follows OpenAI's disclosure of a cybersecurity incident involving advanced models.