Senator Cynthia Lummis Introduces RISE Act to Limit AI Liability

Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced the Responsible Innovation and Safe Expertise (RISE) Act of 2025 on June 12, 2025, to establish a new liability framework for artificial intelligence. The legislation proposes to shield AI developers from civil liability lawsuits for software mistakes, provided they publicly disclose technical model specifications. To qualify for this protection, developers must release model cards detailing training data, performance metrics, use cases, and limitations.

Under the Act, licensed professionals—including doctors, lawyers, engineers, and financial advisers—retain full legal responsibility for errors made while using AI tools in their decision-making. The bill does not provide immunity for developers who engage in fraud, recklessness, willful misconduct, or knowing misrepresentation, and it specifically excludes liability protection for self-driving vehicles. Developers must update their documentation within 30 days of deploying new versions or discovering significant failure modes.

This proposal coincides with broader federal efforts to centralize AI oversight. President Donald Trump supports the One Big Beautiful Bill, which contains provisions to prevent states from enacting their own AI regulations for 10 years. Additionally, some Senate Republicans have suggested blocking federal broadband funding for states that implement independent AI regulations.