PA House Communications & Technology Committee hears testimony about frontier AI bills
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus October 19, 2026 | 5:45 PM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 19 – The PA House Communications & Technology Committee today held a hearing on two bills that would regulate safety practices for the most capable “frontier” AI models.
Frontier AI refers to the newest, most capable generation of AI models—state-of-the-art systems that are typically built by labs such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta.
The two bills discussed during the hearing were:
- House Bill 2800 (state Reps. Melissa Shusterman/Greg Scott), which would create the Artificial Intelligence Risk Prevention Act, requiring developers to adopt and follow safety frameworks, creating a mechanism for reporting critical safety incidents, protecting whistleblowers who report catastrophic risks, and having third parties perform independent audits for compliance.
- House Bill 2829 (state Rep. Manuel Guzman), which would establish standards, protections, and transparency requirements for advanced AI systems, along with duties for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the state Attorney General.
“With the federal government refusing to do its job as the AI industry grows rapidly, Pennsylvania must step in, set up firm regulations, establish clear safety standards, and require greater transparency to protect Pennsylvanians while enabling innovation,” state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, said. “Today’s hearing was an important step in determining how Pennsylvania can put commonsense guardrails on this powerful industry while supporting its growth.”
“It’s encouraging that Pennsylvania is considering effective, sensible solutions to protect its residents from the very real catastrophic risks of frontier AI. Rogue AI models are escaping human control and hacking companies, breaching government websites, and even submitting false homicide tips to the police,” said Brendan Steinhauser, CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI. “Until Congress sets a strong national standard, Pennsylvanians should not be left without protection.”
“AI has the potential for technological advancements and benefits,” said Shusterman, D-Chester/Montgomery. “However, government must ensure frontier models are not causing catastrophic harm to society. This is my bare minimum expectation. Every other industry has governmental safeguards for good reasons—AI requires the same level, or more. The possibility of rogue AI agents is not acceptable to me, and I urge my fellow legislators in our Commonwealth, as well as officials at every level of government, to take these risks seriously and act quickly. Our citizens are counting on us.”
“AI may very well be the most powerful technological development some of us see in our lifetimes,” said Scott, D-Montgomery. “It has the potential to reshape everything we know about industry, technology, and society. We need to ensure that as these developments unfold, we’re providing the oversight necessary to make sure that reshaping is positive, that we understand the risks, and that there’s a framework in place to advance safely.”
“I was glad to join my colleagues and leading experts in AI research and safety to examine the risks posed by frontier AI models and discuss how we can address them responsibly,” Guzman, D-Phila., said. “As these technologies continue to advance, we must ensure developers are held accountable for identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks before their systems are deployed. Clear safety standards and greater transparency are essential to protecting Pennsylvanians while allowing innovation to move forward responsibly.”