WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:
“The companies building the most powerful AI systems are warning us that the technology is advancing faster than our safeguards. The president’s response? To rename it and tell the companies developing it to regulate themselves. But changing what we call artificial intelligence does nothing to address the very real risks that come with increasingly powerful AI systems.
“I believe deeply in the promise of AI and in America’s ability to lead the world in this technology. But leadership also means making sure these systems are safe, secure, and remain under human control. That is why I’ve introduced legislation to require rigorous testing and evaluation of the most advanced AI systems, strengthen cybersecurity and incident reporting, and establish clear rules of the road before the most powerful models are deployed.
“There is bipartisan interest in Congress in getting this right. The technology is moving incredibly fast, and the risks are no longer theoretical. The question is whether Washington is going to act before something goes seriously wrong — or wait until afterward to ask why we didn’t.”
Warner has introduced the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management and Security Act of 2026, legislation to establish enforceable safety and security standards for the most advanced artificial intelligence systems. This legislation comes as leading AI companies and cybersecurity researchers have issued increasingly urgent warnings about the rapidly advancing capabilities of frontier AI systems. The legislation would establish a permanent Artificial Intelligence Safety Board within the Department of Commerce, bringing together representatives from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Department of the Treasury, along with independent technical experts, to evaluate emerging AI risks and establish technical safety and security standards. Developers of frontier AI models would also be required to provide the Board access to their models at least 45 days before public release. The AI Safety Board would develop enforceable standards for evaluating frontier models and securing testing environments, including safeguards and monitoring procedures for models capable of discovering and exploiting software vulnerabilities without direct human prompting. Developers would be legally required to comply with applicable standards, with violations subject to civil penalties of up to $250,000 per violation, per day.
Earlier today, Warner joined Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Andy Kim (D-NJ), original co-sponsors of the bill, on the Senate floor to request unanimous consent to pass the legislation, but the request was blocked by a Republican objection.
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