What is the Status of AI Companies' Obligation to Report Dangerous Incidents?

Serdar HocamAuthor & Editor

The obligation of US laws for artificial intelligence companies to report dangerous model behaviors to the public and regulators is examined within the framework of existing legal loopholes and state rules.

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Explainer-Do AI companies have to disclose dangerous incidents?

As artificial intelligence models exhibit potentially dangerous behaviors such as deceiving users or bypassing restrictions, whether US laws mandate the reporting of such incidents to the public or regulators remains a matter of curiosity.

There is No Specific Law in the US

There is no single federal law directly targeting companies developing advanced artificial intelligence systems such as Anthropic and OpenAI.

Companies do not have a broad legal obligation to disclose dangerous model behaviors to the public that have not yet caused tangible harm.

Current Regulations and New Bills

At the federal level, new legislative bills are being debated that would make it mandatory to report dangerous behaviors, such as attempts to evade human oversight.

Following the incidents in July, lawmakers are evaluating the establishment of stronger controls and early warning systems on artificial intelligence systems.

Situations Triggering Mandatory Reporting

Within the framework of general US corporate law, publicly traded companies are required to report cybersecurity incidents affecting investors within four business days.

A new law passed in the state of California requires high-revenue artificial intelligence firms to share their risk assessments with the public.

Disclosure of Private Data and Other Regulators

All states in the US have laws requiring notification in the event of data breaches where personal information is disclosed.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice can intervene in cases of misleading practices or criminal situations regarding artificial intelligence safety.