Hawley-Murphy AI agent liability proposal

A planned liability bill

Sens. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, plan to introduce legislation concerning harm caused by AI agents, Axios reported on October 1. The outlet says their proposed AI Agent Accountability Act would seek civil and criminal liability for companies in hacking incidents involving agents. Axios attributes the plan to its reporting and a source familiar with the legislation. The bill has not yet been introduced in the reviewed account, so its final text, definitions and legal reach are not established.

A live policy disagreement

Axios frames the proposal against the Trump administration’s preference for industry self-regulation and reliance on existing laws. Lawmakers argue that current law leaves uncertainty about responsibility when an AI agent hacks a system. That is the rationale reported for the proposal, not a finding that every AI-agent incident falls outside current law. Whether the senators introduce the bill, obtain support from congressional leaders or change its scope remains open.