Anthropic's draft AI bill would restrict shutdowns to extreme cases
Anthropic has quietly shared a proposed text with congressional offices, which would allow a federal judge to halt an advanced model only in dire circumstances.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
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What happened
Anthropic has privately passed a draft bill that would set federal rules for frontier AI systems to members of Congress. The draft would let the government halt a frontier model only in extreme cases and only through a federal judge, with enforcement routed through Commerce.
Why it matters
The draft would set the conditions under which the government could stop a frontier AI model. Its narrow triggers and its departure from Amodei's summer positions shape the debate over federal AI rules.
Timeline
- Oct 18, 3:22 PM ET: Reports said Anthropic was pitching Congress its own AI safety bill, which would let the government halt a frontier model only in extreme cases and only through a federal judge.
- Oct 18, 4:15 PM ET: Politico obtained the confidential proposal and spoke with three people familiar with it, as Anthropic privately circulated the draft to lawmakers.
- Oct 19, 11:04 AM ET: Reports said the draft routes all enforcement through Commerce and requires 50 deaths or $1 billion in damages before a model shutdown can be sought.
- Oct 19, 6:48 PM ET: The Washington Post reported the draft is markedly different from what Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei advocated this summer.
Coverage
- AI & Tech Brief: Anthropic’s leaked bill (The Washington Post)
- Anthropic’s Proposed AI Safety Bill Only Kicks In at 50 Deaths or $1 Billion in Damages (Yahoo News)
- Anthropic Takes Its AI Safety Proposals to Capitol Hill (PYMNTS)
- Anthropic's $1B AI Safety Bill Threshold [2026] (shattered.io)
- Anthropic Proposes Congress Bill Mirroring Claude’s Internal Safety Policies (crowdfundinsider.com)
- Anthropic is pitching Congress its own AI safety bill, report says (mashable.com)
- Leaked AI safety bill from Anthropic only lets government act if 50+ deaths or $1 billion are on the line (pcgamer.com)
- Anthropic Proposes AI Safety Bill Giving US Government Power to Block High-Risk Models (CPI)
- Anthropic is said to propose federal AI safety rules with limits on government (seekingalpha.com)
- ‘Injuring more than 50 people’: Anthropic’s threshold for AI safety intervention raises questions (firstpost.com)
- Anthropic’s proposed AI safety bill only kicks in if 50 deaths or $1 billion in damages are on the line (Yahoo News)
- Anthropic’s proposed AI safety bill only kicks in if 50 deaths or $1 billion in damages are on the line — proposal would effectively make the Commerce Department the only agency capable of stopping an AI model (tomshardware.com)
- Anthropic circulates AI bill among US lawmakers (ua.news)
- Anthropic proposes federal AI safety law to US Congress (Yenişafak English AA)
- Anthropic pitches lawmakers AI safety bill with model-blocking powers
- Anthropic proposes federal AI law letting Washington block risky models
- Anthropic pitches Congress an AI safety bill as co-founder urges rules
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