Senators Josh Hawley and Chris Murphy introduced the AI Agent Accountability Act on October 1, according to a Nextgov report. The bipartisan bill would create civil and criminal liability for AI agent operators and developers in hacking incidents. 

The proposal would hold operators liable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act when they knowingly operate an AI agent that causes damage or loss due to hacking. It would also apply to developers that fail to put reasonable safeguards in place when they knew or had reason to know an agent could be used for hacking. 

The lawmakers introduced the bill after a September 30 Senate hearing on AI agents that operate outside their intended boundaries.

AI Agents Create New Questions Around Data Access

For chief data officers (CDOs), the issue extends to how organizations control the data and systems available to AI agents.

As agents gain the ability to work across applications, data leaders need improved AI governance frameworks: clear records of what each agent can access, what permissions it has and how its activity is monitored.

That makes data access controls and audit trails important parts of AI governance. CDOs also need to work with security and technology teams to define boundaries for agents before they are connected to sensitive data or business systems.