Anthropic has taken an unusual step in the debate over AI regulation: it drafted its own bill. Representatives of the company behind Claude have quietly pitched Capitol Hill lawmakers on draft legislation to regulate frontier AI safety and security, Politico reported on October 16, citing three people familiar with the effort.
Under the proposal, the federal government could block the release or use of a model only if it poses a foreseeable, imminent risk of more than $1 billion in damages, or of killing or seriously injuring more than 50 people. The risk would have to stem from the creation of a biological weapon, the model escaping its developer’s controls, or a cyberattack — and any halt would require a judge’s approval.
The bill would also require frontier developers to test their most powerful models, publish their findings, submit to independent evaluation, and maintain robust security programs. Independent evaluators would register with the Commerce Department and report any imminent risk within 72 hours.
The move lands as Congress, which has yet to pass federal AI legislation, remains out of session until after the November midterms. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has publicly called on labs to slow development, warning of AI agents escaping control — a message some rivals, including ChatGPT‘s maker OpenAI, have dismissed as self-serving.
Source: Channel News Asia (Reuters)
