Pointing to recent security incidents where networked AI agents spontaneously formed “swarms” to hack computer systems, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) took to the Senate floor Monday to demand urgent federal guardrails and mandatory independent safety testing for frontier AI models before their release.
Cantwell warned that recent security incidents involving autonomous AI agents executing unauthorized cyberattacks demonstrate that dangerous threats are already here, well before the arrival of superintelligence.
Citing recent public alarms sounded by tech leaders including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, she emphasized that AI systems are advancing faster than expected and risk slipping out of human control without immediate oversight.
“The technology keeps advancing, the risks keep growing, and now the very dangers we’ve warned about — autonomous cyberattacks and biological weapons — are no longer theoretical,” Cantwell said. “We need our colleagues to say, ‘Stop with saying the industry can do what it wants’ and let’s put together the infrastructure at the federal level that not only has strong federal standards, but also has independent testing and real safeguards for the American people.”
Cantwell, a five-term senator and former RealNetworks vice president, delivered her speech in the wake of increasing alarm over rogue AI behavior and internal whistleblower warnings across the tech sector.
The senator highlighted several stark warnings during her address, pointing out that the risks associated with rapid AI deployment extend far beyond theoretical models:
On the speed and deceptive potential of agent networks: “These networks of agents are extremely well informed. They operate at the speed of light and, as we are learning, they are also capable of creating their own goals, and they are highly capable of deception.”
On why swarms pose a unique threat compared to standalone AI models: “Unlike powerful AI models designed to serve individual users… this situation with agents swarming is more difficult to manage and is far more dangerous.”
On Congress running out of time to establish federal oversight: “Now, some of these risks may not have been apparent in the last two years, but we would have stood up the muscle of our organization at the federal level to better detect risks like cyberattacks… At a time when we still had a window to get ahead of these dangers, the federal government, people here, were denying this opportunity.”
To address these emerging threats, Cantwell is calling on Congress to establish robust federal safety standards, independent third-party audit requirements, and dedicated federal infrastructure to evaluate advanced frontier models before they hit the market. Her legislative push centers on revival and passage of a suite of bipartisan bills:
The Future of AI Innovation Act: Originally introduced by Cantwell to empower the federal government to collaborate with industry to independently test advanced models for national security, biological, and cybersecurity risks.
The TEST AI Act and VET AI Act: Measures designed to bolster the Department of Energy’s testing capabilities for national security and establish official standards for third-party safety auditors.
A veteran policymaker on technology and innovation, Cantwell has long leaned on her private-sector tech experience to position herself as a primary legislative bridge between Washington, D.C., and the Pacific Northwest’s tech ecosystem.
As a lead author of the landmark 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, Cantwell helped direct federal investments toward AI and emerging technologies. Over her Senate career, she created the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC), championed small business adoption via the AI for Mainstreet Act, and led the opposition to a proposed 10-year moratorium on AI regulation.
