Rep. Moran introduces AI bill

TYLER — U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran introduced new legislation Thursday that would require AI developers to report dangerous capabilities, security breaches and safety incidents to the United States Secretary of Commerce. The new legislation would give the Department of Commerce jurisdiction to determine AI models that pose risks to national security and public safety. In addition, developers would be required to file reports no more than 7 days after discovering dangerous activity and in more serious cases, the department would be required to notify congress within 48 hours.

A press release from Moran says reportable incidents could include the following:

AI models that attempt to evade human oversight or resist shutdown, unauthorized access to or theft of model weights
Capabilities that could enable offensive cyberattacks against critical infrastructure
Evidence that a model can autonomously accelerate the development of more powerful AI systems
Other risks could include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats.

“AI is a powerful engine of innovation, and I want to see it flourish, but not without accountability and not without human oversight,” Moran said. “The rule of law should apply to this new frontier. This legislation ensures that when something goes wrong with a high-capability AI system, the U.S. Government has the information needed to act quickly.”

Moran says the goal of the act is to encourage the Department of Commerce to develop reporting thresholds in consultation with AI developers, academic researchers, cybersecurity experts and national security officials, ensuring the framework reflects technical realities and avoids unnecessary burden on industry.
IVF, equal protection sparks division within pro-life Texas Republican Party

“The capabilities of advanced AI models are increasing by the day, and so are the risks of AI systems gaining the ability to self-improve, evade human oversight and enabling attacks against our nation’s infrastructure,” CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI Brendan Steinhauser said. “We need mechanisms to identify these risks early so that leaders can respond quickly before incidents become bigger threats.”

The bill includes protections for sensitive, classified, and security-relevant information and permits inter-agency sharing with the intelligence community and law enforcement where appropriate. It also encourages good-faith reporting, allowing companies to file initial disclosures and follow up with more complete information.