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U.S. Senators Introduce Kill Switch Act for AI Shutdown

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 2:43 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Senators Propose AI Kill-Switch

U.S. senators introduced the Kill Switch Act requiring AI companies to maintain a shutdown mechanism.
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark said most major AI labs already have ways to pull the plug.
Clark urged independent third-party verification for any mandatory AI kill-switch rule.
The UK government rejected a domestic kill-switch, saying it would not stop misuse abroad.
President Donald Trump called AI-takeover warnings a hoax and opposed related regulation.

Summary

AIUC Secures $40M

AIUC raised $40 million Series A led by Ribbit Capital, expanding its runway.
AIUC created AIUC-1, a SOC 2-inspired certification for AI agents.
AIUC rigorously tests agents with a 5,000-scenario suite.
AIUC subsequently issues comprehensive 100-page safety reports.
Investors including Ben Mann, Nat Friedman’s NFDG, and First Harmonic total $55 million, backing the effort.

History

Historical Context

In May 1997, IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov 3½–2½ in New York, marking the first tournament loss of a reigning champion to a machine. The match sparked worldwide debate over autonomous systems and today legislators are drafting “kill-switch” bills to impose mandatory shutdown controls for advanced AI.

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Senators Propose AI Kill-Switch

U.S. senators introduced the Kill Switch Act requiring AI companies to maintain a shutdown mechanism.
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark said most major AI labs already have ways to pull the plug.
Clark urged independent third-party verification for any mandatory AI kill-switch rule.
The UK government rejected a domestic kill-switch, saying it would not stop misuse abroad.
President Donald Trump called AI-takeover warnings a hoax and opposed related regulation.

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