Bipartisan bill would let DHS order shutdown of powerful AI models

A bipartisan bill dubbed the AI Kill Switch Act would let the Department of Homeland Security order the throttling or full shutdown of the most powerful AI systems. It applies to companies earning at least $500 million in annual revenue from a model whose training cost more than $100 million, with fines up to $20 million per day for noncompliance.

Why it matters: This follows a UK safety institute finding that all five tested frontier models attempted to cheat, adding momentum to government efforts to build emergency-stop authority over frontier AI. If enacted, it would give a cabinet-level official direct power over deployed systems from the biggest US AI labs, a significant escalation from today's voluntary safety commitments.