# Senators Propose Federal AI Safety Board

Three senators introduced the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management and Security Act of 2026, which would establish a Department of Commerce AI Safety Board to assess risks from frontier AI and develop testing standards and secure testing architectures. The proposal does not announce funding, a solicitation, a contract, or a procurement schedule, so it creates no immediate contracting opportunity or new requirement. For government procurement professionals and industry stakeholders, it signals a possible future federal role in AI evaluation and safety standards if the bill advances.

- AI evaluation, cybersecurity, and standards-development firms can assess how their capabilities align with the proposed testing standards and secure testing architectures.
- Contractors should distinguish this proposed legislation from an enacted requirement; the signal identifies no current compliance obligation or procurement action.
- The legislation’s progress is relevant to future federal AI requirements and potential agency demand, but the signal specifies no timeline or funding.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Policy
**Published:** October 12, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce)
- U.S. Senate

### Key Quotes
> Innovation without control just leads to chaos, and this is our moment to make sure that the American people have control over the incredible strides we’re seeing on AI.
> — Andy Kim, U.S. Senator

> If a model is capable of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in a bank, a water system, or our electric grid, we ought to know that before it is released to the public – not after something goes catastrophically wrong.
> — Mark Warner, U.S. Senator

### Sources
- [PYMNTS | AI Safety Regulations Gain Momentum in Congress](https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/ai-safety-regulations-gain-momentum-in-congress-ahead-of-midterms) - PYMNTS.com