Anthropic Co-Founder Calls for Mandatory AI Kill Switches

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark has suggested that mandatory, third-party verifiable "kill switches" for advanced artificial intelligence systems may be necessary, a proposal that aligns with a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Congress. Technical experts agree that shutting down AI systems locally is feasible but question the practicality and incentive alignment for global implementation. Clark, who leads the Anthropic Institute, told the BBC in an interview published on September 14 that most leading AI labs, including Anthropic, have ways to withdraw or disable their systems. He questioned whether that capability should be required and tested by an outside party. "Should you mandate for companies to definitely have a kill switch? Is that kill switch verifiable by a third party?" Clark asked. "I think that's the kind of thing society is going to want to know and might want to eventually pass rules around." His comments come as a bipartisan bill, the AI Kill Switch Act, was introduced in Congress on July 23. The legislation would require developers of the most powerful AI systems to retain the ability to throttle, suspend, or shut them down.