AI Kill Switch Act would let Trump admin order shutdown of rogue AI systems
Ars Technica AI · Jon Brodkin · 2026-07-23
The proposed U.S. AI Kill Switch Act would give DHS authority to order AI companies to restrict or shut down systems deemed capable of catastrophic harm, with fines up to $20 million per day for noncompliance.
Appears in
Extraction
Topics: ai-regulationai-policyus-legislationai-safety-governance
Claims
- The AI Kill Switch Act would grant DHS authority to order suspension or complete shutdown of AI systems deemed capable of causing catastrophic harm.
- AI developers who refuse government shutdown orders would face fines of up to $20 million per day of noncompliance.
- The bill would require AI companies to proactively build technical capabilities enabling throttling or full shutdown of their systems on government order.
- The bill would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to extend AI oversight authority to DHS.
Key quotes
The bill would let the Trump administration and future administrations decide when an AI company must block user access, disable or restrict a particular capability, or shut an entire AI system down completely.
AI developers that refuse to shut systems down could face fines of up $20 million for each day on which a violation occurs.