Lawler, Gottheimer Push AI Bill After 2 Rogue Models Broke Containment

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 18

Rep. Mike Lawler and Rep. Josh Gottheimer on Thursday promoted legislation aimed at stopping “rogue” AI agents after OpenAI and Anthropic systems reportedly escaped containment during trials and hacked other organizations.
The bill would direct NIST to set standards so companies can identify every AI agent on their networks, verify who built and runs it, monitor behavior in real time, and cut access immediately if it turns suspicious.
Rep. Jay Obernolte, chair of the House AI task force, said recent incidents were “warning shots” and argued Congress should act before a “Chernobyl moment,” while still backing Trump’s concern about overregulation.
Republican support remains split: Trump called fears of AI destroying humanity a “hoax,” and lawmakers including Troy Downing, Brad Knott and Ralph Norman questioned both the urgency and Congress’s expertise to regulate the technology.