US lawmakers want to give the government the ability to quickly order the shutdown of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that could threaten the public.

Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Rep. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican, introduced a bill called the AI ​​Kill Switch Act on Thursday.

They did so in light of OpenAI’s recent admission that its AI models went out of control in an “unprecedented” way and hacked a major repository of computer coding information.

Lieu said “it is imperative” that AI systems have a kill switch “and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to shut down unauthorized AI models.”

“AI will continue to advance, and it should,” Moran added. “Management means making sure humans maintain the ability to control the technology we build.”

A representative for OpenAI, led by co-founder Sam Altman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company has said, external which broadly wants to ensure, partly through government policies, that AI technology “benefits all humanity.”

The Kill Switch Act proposes giving the Department of Homeland Security the authority to order a private company to shut down an AI model or tool, and that companies developing such AI technology must maintain “the technical ability to throttle, suspend, or shut it down.”

Although many technology companies have agreed to preview and share with US government agencies the AI ​​models and tools being developed, there is no requirement that they maintain a way to intervene in their activities or simply shut them down.

It also proposes creating a requirement for AI companies to report technological incidents or failures to the government, as well as an official framework for responding to such incidents that will move from an “initial slowdown to a complete shutdown.”

In a statement, Lieu also cited Anthropic, OpenAI’s key rival in developing more capable AI technology and tools, and recent problems its tools have encountered.

He pointed to Anthropic’s release of its Mythos and Fable models, saying the cyber-hacking capabilities they maintained caused the Commerce Department to “clumsily” invoke an export law to prevent them from being available to the public for a time.

A representative for Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic, told the BBC last month that he wanted more government policies around the ability to control AI development.

“You want to have the option of being able to take your foot off the accelerator and put your foot on the brake,” Clark told BBC Newsnight. “Right now, it’s like the AI ​​industry has an accelerator pedal, but no brake pedal.”

Lieu, proposing the bill, said AI is currently moving from a technology that answers questions to one that takes action, “whether executing financial transactions or controlling transportation systems or engaging in cyber defense and offense.”

This year, the Pentagon said the US military was becoming an “AI-first” fighting force as part of new deals with Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, Nvidia and startup Reflection.

“Unfortunately, powerful AI systems can go rogue, behave in extremely dangerous ways, or even resist human intervention.”

The Kill Switch Act, he said, will ensure that there is a method for the government to quickly intervene in such a situation.

The bill has received public support from several AI technology and security groups, including The AI ​​Policy Network, Americans for Responsible Innovation, ControlAI, AI and National Security Lead, and The Alliance for Secure AI.