Massachusetts Representative Lori Trahan has introduced a draft bill called the "CLAIM Act" intended to clarify when AI developers can be held responsible if agents they create cause harm. The announcement was first shared with Semafor.
A central aspect of the proposed legislation is making it easier for third parties to bring lawsuits against AI developers when harm results directly from an AI agent’s actions. The bill also aims to clarify how questions of intent should be treated with respect to the conduct of AI agents.
"When someone breaks the law and hurts you, you can take them to court. That shouldn’t change just because the wrongdoer is an AI agent," Trahan said.
Trahan previously worked with Representative Jay Obernolte (R-California) on a bipartisan effort to draft AI regulations; she frames this liability-focused proposal in part as a way to incentivize developers to adopt safety measures.
The draft would establish a federal floor for liability rules rather than preempting state laws, meaning it would set minimum standards while preserving states' ability to enact their own, potentially stricter, regulations.
Trahan pointed to the rogue AI hack against Hugging Face earlier this year as an event that highlighted uncertainty over legal responsibility when AI agents cause harm.
Why it matters
The bill seeks to provide legal clarity for victims harmed by AI agents and to motivate developers to implement stronger safety controls. By creating a baseline federal standard without eliminating state-level authority, the proposal attempts to balance uniform protections with local regulatory flexibility.
