AISN #63: New AGI Definition and Senate Bill Would Establish Liability for AI Harms

<p> In this edition: A new bill in the Senate would hold AI companies liable for harms their products create; China tightens its export controls on rare earth metals; a definition of AGI.</p><p> As a reminder, we’re hiring a writer for the newsletter.</p><p> Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.</p><p><strong> Senate Bill Would Establish Liability for AI Harms</strong></p><p> Sens. Dick Durbin, (D-Ill) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo) introduced the AI LEAD Act, which would establish a federal cause of action for people harmed by AI systems to sue AI companies.</p><p> Corporations are usually liable for harms their products create. When a company sells a product in the United States that harms someone, that person can generally sue that company for damages under the doctrine of product liability. Those suits force companies to internalize the harms their products create—and incentivize them to make their products safer.</p><p> [...]</p> <p>---</p><p><strong>Outline:</strong></p><p>(00:35) Senate Bill Would Establish Liability for AI Harms</p><p>(02:48) China Tightens Export Controls on Rare Earth Metals</p><p>(05:28) A Definition of AGI</p><p>(08:31) In Other News</p><p>(10:19) Discussion about this post</p> <p>---</p> <p><b>First published:</b><br/> October 16th, 2025 </p> <p><b>Source:</b><br/> <a href="https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/ai-safety-newsletter-63-new-agi-definition?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/ai-safety-newsletter-63-new-agi-definition</a> </p> <p>---</p> <p>Want more? Check out our <a href="https://newsletter.mlsafety.org/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Episode+description+footer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ML Safety Newsletter</a> for technical safety research.</p> <p>Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=center_for_ai_safety&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>.</p> <p>---</p><div style="max-width: 100%";><p><strong>Images from the article:</strong></p><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IY3v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F579c41b1-9f1d-4f29-ab53-3c451e5e6e58_980x653.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IY3v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F579c41b1-9f1d-4f29-ab53-3c451e5e6e58_980x653.png" alt="A Chinese rare earth mine. Source __T3A_LINK_IN_POST__." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PDPm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d55bd85-caa6-4252-8cc7-6470a89c5f19_1600x1158.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PDPm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d55bd85-caa6-4252-8cc7-6470a89c5f19_1600x1158.png" alt="Spider chart comparing GPT-4 (2023) and GPT-5 (2025) capabilities across multiple dimensions. The chart shows performance metrics in areas like Knowledge, Reading & Writing, Math, Reasoning, Working Memory, Memory Storage, Memory Retrieval, Visual, Auditory, and Speed. The red line (GPT-5) generally extends further out than the blue line (GPT-4), suggesting projected improvements across most capabilities." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><p><em>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</em></p></div>