BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — Rep. Josh Gottheimer is introducing a bipartisan bill aimed at securing AI agents as concerns grow over artificial intelligence systems taking unauthorized actions on computer networks.

Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., are introducing the Stop Rogue AI Act today, in a bill first reported on Thursday morning by Axios.

The legislation would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards and best practices for organizations deploying AI agents, including requirements for monitoring and verifying their actions, evaluating their security and reliability and maintaining tamper-proof records.

The bill would also call for organizations using AI agents to maintain a continuous, machine-readable inventory of the agents operating on their networks.

Most of the proposed standards would be voluntary, but federal contractors seeking new government contracts would be required to meet the NIST standards.

The legislation comes amid growing concern over rogue AI agents and recent security incidents, including the reported breach involving AI company Hugging Face.

Gottheimer told Axios that the legislation is intended to help companies identify AI agents operating on their networks and “know exactly who's behind them.”

“Right now, AI agents are running loose in our networks, and nobody can see them or verify who built them — making it increasingly hard to stop them,” Gottheimer said. “That's a five-alarm security risk.”

NIST would have one year after the bill’s enactment to develop the standards.

The proposal is part of a broader push in Congress to address security and transparency concerns surrounding increasingly autonomous AI systems.

The bill has received support from several technology and cybersecurity companies and industry groups, including Palo Alto Networks, GoDaddy, Infoblox, the AI Policy Network and the Alliance for Secure AI.