Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) speaks before the House Judiciary Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on February 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Images
The new artificial intelligence bill, first reported by CNBC, would crack down on deepfakes and non-consensual images and make it easier for whistleblowers to report AI-related concerns.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who along with Rep. Jay Obanolte (R-Calif.) leads the bipartisan House AI Task Force. The bill builds on the recommendations of the task force’s report.
In an interview with CNBC, Liu said the bill is a “step forward.”
“It’s not designed to be controversial,” he said. “This bill is based on bipartisan legislation introduced by other members of Congress and the recommendations of the bipartisan House AI Task Force. So we are trying to do something with this bill this session.”
Lieu’s bill sidesteps some of the thornier questions surrounding AI, such as whether federal standards should be established to preempt state AI laws and whether there should be testing requirements for AI systems used in places like critical infrastructure and education.
The sweeping bill includes provisions to protect whistleblowers who report AI safety risks and violations, requires the United States to participate in international organizations that develop technology standards for AI, and establishes an award competition for breakthrough AI research and development.
While Lieu’s bill has support from Obernolte, the Republican is working on its own AI package, which it plans to release later this year. Like Lieu’s bill, Obernolte’s bill builds on the work of a bipartisan task force.
