The bill also includes strict liability standards for AI companies, according to CNBC. Khanna's push comes as Washington faces growing pressure to regulate AI after top tech executives warned the technology could spiral out of their control. Congress, so far, has done little to rein in a technology that already props up huge parts of the economy.
"There's actually a civilizational extinction risk," Khanna told CNBC Monday. He said the danger breaks down into two parts, a safety risk tied to losing control of the technology, and a separate risk of people misusing it on purpose.
For an industry that has largely written its own rules, Khanna's bill would mark one of the more aggressive attempts yet to force limits from Washington. Companies racing to build more powerful, self-improving AI systems would have to wait on government-approved safeguards before deploying it. They could also face real legal liability if something goes wrong.
It puts lawmakers in the position of trying to catch up to an industry that has moved far faster than regulation ever has.
A member of Congress just warned of risk to human survival itself, over technology that already runs quietly in the background of daily American life.