AI Whistleblower Protection Act

• Authority: United States Congress
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: U.S. federal laws
• Most recent activity: Proposed
• Most recent activity date: 2025-05-15

Risk subdomain coverage

Good coverage — Comprehensive governance measures or mitigations with clear procedures relating to the risk subdomain are explicitly described.

• Governance failure

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the risk subdomain are described.

• AI system security vulnerabilities
• Cyberattacks, weapon development or use
• Competitive dynamics
• AI possessing dangerous capabilities
• Lack of capability or robustness
• Lack of transparency or interpretability

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

This document primarily addresses governance mechanisms (6.5) and transparency (7.4) by creating whistleblower protections. It explicitly covers AI system security vulnerabilities (2.2) through its definitions and procedures. The document indirectly addresses competitive dynamics (6.4) by reducing pressure to suppress safety concerns. Coverage is focused on creating governance infrastructure rather than directly mitigating technical risks.

Sector coverage

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the sector are described.

• Agriculture, Mining, Construction & Manufacturing
• Trade, Transportation & Utilities
• Information
• Finance & Insurance
• Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
• Professional & Technical Services
• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Management, Administrative & Support Services
• Educational Services
• Health Care & Social Assistance
• Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
• Accommodation, Food & Other Services
• Public Administration (excl. National Security)
• National Security

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This document applies broadly to all economic sectors through its definition of 'commerce' and 'industry or activity affecting commerce'. The Act governs employment practices related to AI whistleblowing across all sectors where AI is developed, deployed, or used, but does not provide sector-specific AI governance content.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a proposed federal statute from the United States Congress with mandatory prohibitions, explicit enforcement mechanisms through the Secretary of Labor and federal courts, and specific legal remedies including reinstatement and damages.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The document is a bill proposed by the United States Congress, as indicated in the opening text describing it as legislation to be enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Developer, AI_Deployer
• Summary: The Act targets employers who pay compensation to individuals (employees or independent contractors) working with AI systems, broadly covering any person engaged in commerce.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The Act designates the Secretary of Labor as the primary enforcement authority for complaints, with federal district courts providing judicial enforcement, and references to regulatory officials and the Attorney General for receiving reports.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The Secretary of Labor monitors compliance through the complaint process, while regulatory and law enforcement agencies and Congressional committees receive information from whistleblowers about AI violations and security vulnerabilities.

AI Lifecycle Stages

Lifecycle stages covered by the documents, as defined in the OECD Framework for the Classification of AI Systems

• Build and Use Model
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document explicitly covers the development, deployment, and use phases of AI, addressing Build and Use Model, Deploy, and Operate and Monitor stages. The whistleblower protections apply broadly across the AI lifecycle wherever security vulnerabilities or violations occur.

Technical Scope

Terms relating to technical scope that are mentioned or implicitly referenced in the document

• AI Models
• Frontier AI
• AI Systems

Technical Scope Summary

The document provides extensive definitions of artificial intelligence and artificial systems, covering a broad range of AI technologies. It specifically defines 'emerging artificial intelligence technology' for security vulnerabilities but does not explicitly mention foundation models, generative AI, general purpose AI, or compute thresholds.