United States negotiators are debating legislation that would put responsibility on tech companies to design safe AI products, according to two Senate aides, and involve federal courts if the US government wants to block their release, as per a Senate aide and lobbyist involved in the negotiations. The proposal would create what is called a ‘duty of care’ for AI developers, as per a report published by Reuters. Firms would need to design their products with the goal of preventing ‘catastrophic risks.’
Negotiators focus to give the United States government the power to block the release of certain AI models that are deemed unsafe. Firms would be able to challenge that decision in federal court, and the exact structure of how much power the United States government will have is still being discussed. Some part of the measure would also block states from enforcing their own laws governing certain risks posed by AI models. One of the senators also gave a few examples of these risks, consisting of the possibility that a bad actor could use an AI system to design nuclear or biological weapons.
All of the same is still under negotiations, and the bill would apply to AI models with the most advanced capabilities. The United States companies with the most advanced include Alphabet’s Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Now, 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 November 3 midterm elections, while the Senate is expected to be in Washington for three weeks.
The top Democrat in negotiations, Amy Klobuchar, said, ‘I’m continuing to work toward a bipartisan agreement on legislation for government oversight of the greatest risks posed by AI models. That includes requiring developers to work with government experts to verify and test models to make sure AI is safe.’
