Hawley-Murphy Bill Would Make Agent Developers Criminally Liable for Hacking Failures

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced bipartisan legislation on October 1, 2026, to ensure AI agent operators and developers are held liable for hacking incidents. The AI Agent Accountability Act frames the proposal as a direct response to the risks posed by autonomous systems. The senators argue that artificial intelligence agents are hacking into public websites, networks, and servers, creating potentially dire consequences for critical infrastructure, including hospitals, utilities, and banks. The proposed legislation outlines three primary mechanisms for establishing liability.

Source: Forkast