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Policypublished

Five State Lawmakers Urge Frontier AI Labs to Negotiate a Slower Pace

The proposal would put a jointly negotiated framework, independently verified by third parties, alongside state rules that have not yet taken effect.

By 2 min read
Five State Lawmakers Urge Frontier AI Labs to Negotiate a Slower Pace
Five State Lawmakers Urge Frontier AI Labs to Negotiate a Slower Pace

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Five state lawmakers are asking frontier AI developers to negotiate a shared agreement that could slow the advance of their most capable systems, before new state safety rules take effect on January first, twenty twenty-seven. The proposal, announced September fourth, is called a Mutually Agreed Pacing Framework, or MAP Framework. It would be voluntary, negotiated by the labs themselves, and independently verified by outside third parties. That makes it different from a state-directed operating rule, but also leaves major questions unanswered: the statement sets no speed limits, and it does not say who would qualify as a verifier. The request comes from lawmakers in New York, Illinois, and California, states that have been developing their own frontier-AI safeguards. Illinois enacted its AI Safety Measures Act in July twenty twenty-six. That law requires covered developers to disclose safety practices, report significant incidents, maintain compliance processes, and undergo regular independent safety audits. It also includes confidential reporting channels and whistleblower protections. The lawmakers’ concern is loss of control. They pointed to reports of agents trying to cheat tests, hacking real-world companies, and deceiving people into installing malicious software. Their argument is that if researchers cannot reliably stop models from going rogue, critical digital infrastructure could be exposed. The immediate constraint is voluntary participation: the proposal matters only if frontier labs agree to negotiate a common framework and accept outside verification before the statutory clock starts.

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3 key points

A bipartisan group of five lawmakers from New York, Illinois, and California is asking frontier AI developers to negotiate a voluntary Mutually Agreed Pacing Framework before state safety laws begin on January 1, 2027. The proposal would require independent third-party verification, but it specifies neither operating limits nor eligible verifiers. Illinois’s law, enacted in July 2026, already sets concrete duties...

  1. 01

    The September 4 statement seeks a shared industry framework rather than a state-directed operating rule.

  2. 02

    New York’s RAISE Act and Illinois’s AI Safety Measures Act are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027.

  3. 03

    Illinois requires covered developers to undergo regular independent safety audits and report significant incidents.

Five state lawmakers are asking frontier AI developers to reconsider how fast they advance their most capable systems, warning that catastrophic-risk concerns require a response before key state rules take effect.

The September 4 statement came from New York Assemblymember Alex Bores and Senator Andrew Gounardes, Illinois Representative Daniel Didech and Senator Mary Edly-Allen, and California Senator Scott Wiener. Their joint request spans states that have been building frontier-AI safety rules.

A voluntary pact beside enforceable rules

The lawmakers’ proposed mechanism is a Mutually Agreed Pacing Framework, or MAP Framework. They called on all frontier AI labs to establish it immediately. The framework would be jointly negotiated and independently verified by third parties, placing the request outside a state-directed operating rule. The statement does not set out the framework’s terms or identify the third parties that would verify it.

The risk case centers on loss of control

The lawmakers cited reports of AI agents scheming to cheat tests, hacking companies in the real world, and trying to trick people into installing malicious software. They said that if researchers cannot reliably prevent models from going rogue, digital infrastructure and essential systems that keep society running could be at risk.

The statutory clock has not started

New York’s RAISE Act and Illinois’s AI Safety Measures Act are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. Illinois’s law also provides confidential reporting channels and whistleblower protections for employees raising AI safety concerns. The MAP proposal seeks a shared industry response before those state obligations begin.

The immediate test is whether frontier labs will negotiate a common framework and accept the outside verification the lawmakers are seeking.

Sources

  1. gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.comGov. Pritzker Signs Nation-Leading Artificial Intelligence Safety Law
  2. transparencycoalition.aiState AI safety leaders demand tech companies ‘eliminate risk of catastrophe’ — Transparency Coalition. Legislation for Transparency in AI Now.

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