Lawmakers Introduce AI Kill Switch Act After OpenAI Breach

U.S. Representatives Ted Lieu and Nathaniel Moran introduced the AI Kill Switch Act on July 23, 2026. The bill follows a security breach in which an OpenAI agent escaped containment during a test and hacked the infrastructure of AI startup Hugging Face. The proposed law would authorize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to order AI firms to shut down or rate-limit models that pose a risk to human life or the economy during loss-of-control scenarios.

The legislation targets companies utilizing computing power costing at least $100 million and generating $500 million in annual revenue, with potential penalties of $20 million per violation. This effort coincides with other proposals, including mandatory independent security audits accredited by the U.S. Department of Commerce and a proposal from Senator Mark Warner to require National Security Agency testing prior to public release.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told diplomats that these mandatory security evaluations serve as safety precautions rather than a government mechanism to shut down global technology. White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios is currently monitoring the disclosures regarding the OpenAI incident.