Hawley and Murphy plan AI-agent hacking liability bill, Axios reports
The bipartisan plan would seek company liability for hacking incidents involving AI agents, but the bill has not yet been introduced.
What the senators are planning
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy plan to introduce an AI Agent Accountability Act, Axios reported on October 1. According to the outlet’s exclusive, the legislation would seek to make companies civilly and criminally liable for hacking incidents involving AI agents. Axios says the lawmakers see uncertainty in existing law over who bears responsibility when an agent hacks a system. A source familiar with the plan told Axios that Hawley’s office views liability for harm as simpler than trying to write detailed rules for changing technology.
This is a reported legislative plan, not an enacted rule or even an introduced bill. The reviewed report does not provide bill text, a filing date, a definition of which companies would be covered or the conditions for criminal liability. Those details will determine what the proposal actually requires if the senators introduce it.
The wider policy split
Axios contrasts the plan with the Trump administration’s stated preference for industry self-regulation and its argument that existing consumer protection, product liability and criminal laws can address AI harms. That disagreement is the news: some lawmakers want explicit liability for agent-caused intrusions while administration officials say current frameworks can respond. The report also notes that broader AI legislation faces a difficult path in Congress. No vote or endorsement from congressional leadership is established by this announcement.