Senate attempt to require a 'kill switch' for AI shot down by Rand Paul

A bill offered in the Senate Wednesday by Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy that would have required artificial intelligence companies to build a “kill switch” to be able to keep their advanced models from going rogue was killed by Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul. 

While the House passed a bipartisan bill to protect consumers from energy rate hikes caused by data centers, the Senate action was the latest instance of a failed effort by Congress to advance AI legislation amid intense debate over whether and if so, how to regulate AI, according to the Washington Examiner. 

Kennedy's bill was offered via unanimous consent, which means it can be blocked by any one of his 99 colleagues.

“I’m not standing here today suggesting to you I have all the answers,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor. “What I am suggesting to you is there are risks to artificial intelligence.”

“Are they going to have to redesign all search engines immediately if this passes and put kill switches in your search engine?” Paul said during a brief floor debate. “Are doctors going to have to build a kill switch into drug prescription analysis?”

When Paul suggested creating a panel to analyze potential safeguards, Kennedy accused him of taking the “weenie way out” of killing his motion.

“Maybe we ought to let Leonardo DiCaprio chair the darn thing,” Kennedy responded. “My mama didn’t raise a fool, and if she did, it was one of my brothers.”