US lawmaker introduces bill to require AI companies to report critical incidents

U.S. Representative Nathaniel Moran, a Republican from Texas, introduced the AI Incident Reporting Act on June 25, 2026. The legislation would require developers of artificial intelligence models to notify the U.S. Commerce Department of dangerous capabilities, security breaches and safety incidents. The bill mandates reports within seven days of discovering dangerous activity. The Commerce Department would be required to notify Congress within 48 hours of the most serious incidents. Moran described the measure in an interview as a catch-it-early and sound-the-alarm bill. Reportable activities would include models attempting to evade human oversight, circumvent safeguards or undermine human control of the model. Unauthorized access to model weights and chemical, biological, nuclear and other threats to public safety would also require reporting. The targeted proposal comes as more powerful AI models raise risks to national security and public safety. Moran said the narrower approach could move more quickly through Congress and attract bipartisan support. Mark Beall, president of the AI Policy Network, said he supports the legislation because of growing public demand for action on AI. The article was reported by Karen Freifeld and edited by Chizu Nomiyama and David Gaffen.