Senator Grassley’s AI Whistleblower Protection Act is gaining traction in Congress. The bill provides explicit whistleblower protections to those developing and deploying artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, AI companies’ alleged use of restrictive severance and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) creates a barrier on current and former employees looking to make whistleblower disclosures to the federal government, including Congress. 

Grassley states, “We want to make sure that the best information is available, and that regulators are on top of anything that can happen as a result of it (AI). There is so much that we don’t know about AI, I don’t think every night I stay awake worrying about AI, but I read a lot about the concerns that people have about artificial intelligence, and I think our legislation reflects that.” 

In June of 2024, over a dozen current and former employees from leading AI companies publicly stated that confidentiality agreements and fear of retaliation prevented them from raising legitimate safety concerns. The bill was introduced to the Senate on May 15th.