WASHINGTON, D.C. — Louisiana U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s attempt to quickly pass legislation requiring advanced artificial intelligence systems to include a human-controlled emergency shutdown mechanism was blocked Wednesday by an objection from fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Kennedy sought unanimous consent to pass his AI Emergency Button Act, which would have allowed the legislation to advance without a recorded vote if no senator objected. Paul’s objection prevented the bill from passing through the expedited process.
Under the two-page proposal, entities developing or operating advanced AI systems in the United States would be required to include the technical ability for a human operator to shut down the system. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with other federal agencies, would have 90 days to develop regulations implementing the requirement.
The draft does not specify what qualifies as an advanced AI system or when its shutdown capability should be used, leaving those details to the regulatory process.
Kennedy said the requirement was intended as a basic safeguard against the possibility that an increasingly capable AI system could operate beyond human control.
“If there is even a 1% chance that one of these AI models can shed its nature as a tool and become an independent species and start doing whatever the hell it wants to do, if there’s even a 1% chance, we ought to take it seriously,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy emphasized that the federal government would not control the proposed shutdown mechanisms.
“It doesn’t put the federal government, or any government, in charge of the kill switch,” he said. “It puts the companies who own the model in charge of the kill switch.”
Paul objected that the proposal was too broad and could affect AI applications throughout the economy, including search engines and medical technology. He proposed creating a bipartisan committee to study the risks posed by advanced AI and recommend safeguards.
Kennedy rejected that proposal, arguing that another congressional study would delay action. Paul then formally objected to Kennedy’s unanimous consent request.
The objection stopped the bill from receiving immediate approval but did not amount to a recorded vote against it or prevent Kennedy from pursuing the legislation through the regular committee process.
