Anthropic proposes a judicial route to halt dangerous AI models
Anthropic is circulating a federal AI bill among US lawmakers that would make a judge the final gate for suspending a dangerous model. The proposal combines safety testing, public results and independent evaluation with thresholds for imminent harm. It also raises questions about the balance between federal oversight and state rules, including those in California.
Artificial Intelligence··Night
A federal judge would decide on suspension
Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI assistant, is circulating a proposed federal AI law among US lawmakers. Its design gives the government a route to seek restrictions on dangerous models, with judicial approval required for suspension. A company spokesperson confirmed the proposal’s central obligations to AFP on October 16, following Politico’s disclosure of the draft.[1], [2]
The proposed intervention threshold is an imminent risk of more than 50 deaths or serious injuries, or damage exceeding 1 billion dollars. These are conditions for intervention in the draft. Anthropic’s proposed powers remain a legislative proposal awaiting adoption.[1]
Powerful models face testing and independent evaluation
Developers would have to test their most powerful models, make the results public, obtain independent evaluation and maintain a substantial security programme. Anthropic says the framework would let federal authorities prevent or deter dangerous deployments. Under President Donald Trump, federal AI policy has relied largely on executive orders and voluntary company commitments.[1]
The proposal also reaches state rules
The text would override some state rules, including provisions in California. In June, Anthropic had argued that states should retain full legislative authority while strong federal legislation was absent. Charlie Bullock of the Institute for Law & AI, a legal and AI policy organisation, welcomed the contribution compared with other laboratories’ efforts but considered it weaker than the FRONTIER Act proposed in the House during the summer.[1]
