Summary#
This bill requires large operators of powerful artificial intelligence systems to keep a technical ability to stop, suspend, throttle, or shut down those systems. The Department (the "Secretary, acting through the Director") must write rules on which entities and technologies are covered and how to respond. The bill sets deadlines for rulemaking, reporting, and voluntary standards. It also gives the Secretary emergency authority to order actions, requires preservation of model weights and telemetry after an order, allows audits, and creates civil penalties for violations.
What it means for you#
- Companies that operate AI systems meeting the bill's size tests and that offer access to others (for example, via an API or hosted service) would need a way to stop inference, end user access, suspend accounts, or shut down the system. The bill exempts purely personal, academic, or non-commercial uses.
- The bill defines a "covered entity" in part by revenue (at least $500,000,000 in gross revenue from the technology in the prior year) and a "covered technology" by development compute cost (over $100,000,000 as determined by the Secretary).
- Covered entities must report a "covered incident" to the Secretary within 15 days. Covered incidents include sabotage, unintended conduct that causes at least 10 deaths or at least $100,000,000 in economic damage, concealment of capabilities from monitoring or shutdown systems, or loss-of-control scenarios.
- In an emergency, the Secretary may order a covered entity to take actions (throttle, restrict, suspend, or shut down). The entity must preserve model weights and telemetry, notify affected users as practicable, and confirm compliance. The entity can ask for reconsideration within 48 hours and seek judicial review in the D.C. Circuit within 60 days.
- The Secretary must update definitions and rule requirements within 90 days of enactment and annually, and publish voluntary shutdown standards within 180 days.
- Nonpublic information submitted under the section is exempt from federal and state public-record laws. Minor violations fixed within 30 days are not treated as violations.
Expenses#
No publicly available information about the bill's effect on federal spending or specific compliance costs. The bill does set civil penalties in statute: up to $2,000,000 per day for general violations and up to $20,000,000 per day for violations of emergency orders under the emergency-authority subsection. The bill also requires agency activities (rulemaking, audits, reports) but does not provide cost estimates.
Proponents' View#
No publicly available information.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.