John Kennedy’s AI ‘kill switch’ bill killed by Rand Paul

Published September 16, 2026 7:18pm ET




A narrow measure offered by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) Wednesday that would’ve forced artificial intelligence companies to build a “kill switch” to prevent their advanced models from going rogue was shot down by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

The episode marked the latest instance of Congress trying and failing to advance AI legislation amid a growing debate over whether, if at all, to regulate the technology that industry leaders warn may pose doomsday threats to humanity.

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