Lawmakers suggest banning AI from singlehandedly launching nuclear weapons

An image showing a graphic of a brain on a black background — Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

American Division of Protection coverage already bans synthetic intelligence from autonomously launching nuclear weapons. However amid rising fears of AI spurred by a plethora of potential threats, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has determined to make extra-double-sure it might’t.

As introduced earlier this week, Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Ken Buck (R-CO) have launched the Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous AI Act, which might “prohibit the usage of Federal funds to launch a nuclear weapon utilizing an autonomous weapons system that’s not topic to significant human management.” The act would codify current Pentagon guidelines for nuclear weapons, which, as of 2022, learn thusly: