Rand Paul Blocks John Kennedy From Passing AI ‘Kill Switch’ Bill In One Fell Swoop
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul blocked Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy’s legislation Wednesday that would require artificial intelligence (AI) models to have a “kill switch.”
Kennedy attempted to pass the bill without holding a formal vote, which just one senator can prevent. The legislation would require all AI models to have a “kill switch,” a safety or security mechanism used to shut down a machine, vehicle or software program.
“Benjamin Franklin famously said that failing to plan is planning to fail,” Paul said. “When approaching something as important as innovation, as AI, I think we should make sure we have as many facts as possible before we dictate rules for the whole economy. Artificial intelligence is an incredible technology, it’s quickly transforming how work is done. What used to take people hundreds of man hours, now takes seconds … It’s important that the development of AI is carried out in a responsible, thoughtful manner.
“If Congress acts hastily before the technology is understood, Congress risks killing innovation and taking this technology back decades,” Paul continued.
🚨 JUST IN: Sen. Rand Paul BLOCKS Sen. John Kennedy’s effort to unanimously require an AI "KILL SWITCH" nationwide, in one fell swoop by law
PAUL: "Ben Franklin said failing to plan is planning to fail. Approaching something as important as AI, we need as many facts as possible before we dictate rules for the whole economy! AI is an incredible technology…"
Paul says acting "hastily" could set AI back "DECADES"
"Your SEARCH ENGINE is AI. Do they have to IMMEDIATELY re-design search engines?"
"I don’t oppose the spirit, but I do ask we make sure we have all the information."
"Put all this on the economy in one fell swoop in one day by unanimous consent?!"
I’m with Trump and @RandPaul on this, we need to CHILL OUT in trying to rush government into this ESPECIALLY with the pure amount of propaganda coming from China against AI.
And to the companies begging for the feds to regulate them, that is NEVER a good sign!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 16, 2026
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Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
