Congress’ AI safety window is closing
The window for Congress to act on AI before the midterms is essentially shut — but a few senators are trying.
With the midterms fast approaching, the window for Congress to pass AI safety legislation is rapidly closing. However, a handful of senators are still attempting to push for new regulations. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., intends to introduce a bill on Wednesday that would mandate an AI "kill switch" under corporate control, not government oversight.
While Kennedy acknowledges his proposal may face opposition, he believes it is the only feasible option in the short term, stating that enacting an AI bill before the midterms is "certainly impossible" and "likely" during the lame duck session.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are also advocating for a floor vote on their own AI safety measure. Meanwhile, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, is proposing a multi-faceted regulatory approach: industry safety standards, new legislation, and international leadership on safeguards from the incoming Trump administration. Lehane concedes that, realistically, little to no progress is likely to be made before the election.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
