GOP bill would shield AI companies from lawsuits if they're transparent

The legislation from Sen. Cynthia Lummis seeks to address the legal gray area of exactly who is liable when AI is used in a sensitive medical, legal or financial situation.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is introducing legislation Thursday that would shield artificial intelligence developers from an array of civil liability lawsuits provided they meet certain disclosure requirements.

Lummis’ bill, the Responsible Innovation and Safe Expertise Act, seeks to clarify that doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, engineers and other professionals who use AI programs in their decision-making retain legal liability for any errors they make — so long as AI developers publicly disclose how their systems work.

“This legislation doesn’t create blanket immunity for AI — in fact, it requires AI developers to publicly disclose model specifications so professionals can make informed decisions about the AI tools they choose to utilize,” Lummis, a member of the Commerce Committee, said in a statement first shared with NBC News. “It also means that licensed professionals are ultimately responsible for the advice and decisions they make. This is smart policy for the digital age that protects innovation, demands transparency, and puts professionals and their clients first.”

Lummis’ office touted the bill as the first piece of federal legislation that offers clear guidelines for AI liability in a professional context. The measure would not govern liability for other AI elements, such as self-driving vehicles, and it would not provide immunity when AI developers act recklessly or willfully engage in misconduct.

“AI is transforming industries — medicine, law, engineering, finance — and becoming embedded in professional tools that shape critical decisions,” her office said in a release. “But outdated liability rules discourage innovation, exposing developers to unbounded legal risk even when trained professionals are using these tools.”