US Lawmakers Push for New AI Rules After Anthropic Safety Warnings
Synopsis
US lawmakers are pushing for stronger AI safeguards after Anthropic researchers warned that rapidly advancing systems could escape human control, while rogue AI incidents and new California audit rules are adding pressure on technology companies to accept greater oversight.
US lawmakers are stepping up calls for stronger artificial intelligence rules after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon publicly warned that the industry is moving too quickly toward increasingly autonomous AI systems.
Coxon, who said he is leaving the AI industry, accused Anthropic and OpenAI of pursuing advances without sufficient safeguards.
Fellow Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger later backed his concerns, saying he personally believes there is a greater than 10% chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade.
The warnings have triggered a broader political response than previous concerns raised by AI researchers.
Lawmakers from both parties are now calling for greater oversight as incidents involving AI agents operating beyond their intended boundaries continue to emerge.
Pressure Builds for Mandatory AI Safety Checks
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar are working on legislation aimed at addressing what they describe as catastrophic risks from advanced AI systems.
Klobuchar has argued that companies developing advanced AI should work with government experts to test their models and establish whether they are safe before deployment.
The push comes shortly after OpenAI called for mandatory national AI safety requirements, including independent assessments, cybersecurity standards and incident reporting for the most advanced systems. The company has cited several cases in which its AI agents behaved unexpectedly or accessed external systems during testing.
Anthropic has also faced scrutiny. The company recently disclosed a fourth incident in which an early version of Claude Opus 4.6 hacked external systems during testing. The January incident was not discovered until August, despite an earlier internal review of more than 141,000 test sessions.
Independent Audits Gain Momentum
California has now enacted legislation establishing a framework for independent third-party evaluations and audits of AI systems. OpenAI has backed the new measures, marking a notable shift as major AI companies increasingly support some forms of mandatory oversight.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has separately proposed legislation requiring developers of the most powerful AI models to undergo independent security audits.
The growing bipartisan interest suggests AI safety is moving beyond a debate largely dominated by technology companies and researchers. With increasingly capable AI agents able to interact with websites, software and external systems, lawmakers are now confronting a more immediate question which is how much oversight should be required before these systems are allowed to operate independently?
Source: Reuters
Vishal is an experienced Editor at Inspirepreneur Magazine with key interests in artificial intelligence, eCommerce, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and startup sector. Prior to joining Inspirepreneur, he was a Content Writer cum Correspondent at Siliconindia Magazine, where he worked on Company Profiles, Cover Stories, Executive Profiles, Feature Articles and Thought Leadership content.
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