Lawmakers propose bill to ban AI from launching nuclear weapons

A bipartisan group of lawmakers including Senator Edward Markey and Representatives Ted Lieu, Don Beyer, and Ken Buck have introduced the Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous AI Act, which aims to prohibit the use of federal funds to launch a nuclear weapon using an autonomous weapons system that is not subject to meaningful human control. The bill codifies existing Pentagon rules for nuclear weapons and affirms a ban on autonomous nuclear weapons launches. The sponsors note that introducing the bill highlights the potential dangers of current-generation autonomous artificial intelligence systems and offers a chance to highlight their other nuclear non-proliferation efforts.