AI Law Wiki News for September 17, 2026
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Commission publishes EU Kids Act proposal
On September 17, 2026, the European Commission adopted its EU Kids Act proposal. It would prohibit accounts for under-13s on covered social-media services and set 15 as the age for independent accounts; 13- and 14-year-olds would use parent-supervised accounts.[1][2]
The Commission’s explanation also covers AI companions and chatbots: proposed safeguards address emotional dependency, default reuse of earlier conversations in later chats, pre-launch testing and subsequent monitoring. Under-13 use would require parental controls. These are proposed obligations, not an enacted EU regulation.[2]
The proposal would also prevent chatbots embedded in platforms or games from activating automatically for children and require that they be easy to disable. Platforms with at least 45 million active monthly EU users would have to submit child-safety compliance plans, independently audited at their expense. These requirements would need approval by the European Parliament and Council before becoming law.[2][3]
Singapore minister calls for aviation-style AI safeguards
On September 17, 2026, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo called for AI safeguards comparable to aviation’s safety arrangements, according to CNA and AsiaOne’s reports of her LinkedIn statement. She emphasized testing, assurance and international cooperation as AI adoption grows.[4][5]
Teo identified AI Verify, the Singapore AI Safety Institute and Model AI governance frameworks as supporting this work. The reports describe a policy statement and continuing safety efforts, rather than the enactment of a new regulatory regime.[4][5]
King Charles convenes AI leaders for safety discussions
On September 17, 2026, King Charles III addressed AI industry leaders at Dumfries House in Scotland, urging safeguards against catastrophic misuse and the preservation of human control. Press Association reported participation from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Nvidia, alongside the UK AI minister.[6]
Reuters reported that the palace intended the discussions to consider shared principles for AI serving human dignity and public benefit, and that binding agreements were not expected. The meeting contributes to the UK AI-safety policy debate; these reports do not establish a new regulatory requirement.[7]
Australia announces consultation on AI infrastructure standards
On September 17, 2026, the Australian government announced consultation on proposed national standards for large data centres and frontier-AI training. The proposals address energy and water use, costs to communities, local engagement and workforce skills, alongside safety, security and local capability conditions for AI training.[8][9][10]
The official announcement schedules submissions from 6 am AEST on September 18 until 5 pm AEDT on October 9, 2026. The consultation will inform proposed legislation; it does not itself impose the proposed mandatory standards.[8][9]
New York attorney general invites AI whistleblower reports
On September 17, 2026, Attorney General Letitia James urged workers to report potentially unlawful or unsafe AI development through the New York attorney general’s whistleblower portal. The alert seeks information; it does not announce a new lawsuit or regulation.[11]
The portal permits anonymous submissions and two-way communication, but its instructions caution that the content of submissions is not guaranteed to remain anonymous and confidential.[12]
Federal judiciary reports progress on AI oversight
On September 17, 2026, the Judicial Conference received an update on the federal judiciary’s AI work. Administrative Office director Robert J. Conrad Jr. reported that its task force had identified more than 60 issues and formed seven subject-matter groups.[13]
The update reiterates existing interim guidance cautioning courts against assigning adjudication to AI and holding users accountable for AI-assisted work. The judiciary’s 2025 annual report describes that guidance as temporary while longer-term policies are developed; September 17 is the date of this progress report, not a newly established commencement date.[14][13]
Lawler and Gottheimer press for AI-agent safeguards
On September 17, 2026, Representatives Mike Lawler and Josh Gottheimer held a Capitol Hill press conference promoting the Stop Rogue AI Act. They advocated NIST standards for identifying, monitoring and controlling AI agents, with Lawler arguing for safeguards rather than a development pause.[15][16]
This was a further push for the previously announced proposal, not a reported vote or enactment. The sponsors’ announcement describes proposed safeguards for federal procurement and agency deployment.[15]
McDowell announces FISA AI reporting bill
On September 17, 2026, Representative Addison McDowell announced introduction, with James Walkinshaw, of the FISA AI Reporting Act. The proposal would require the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on AI use involving information collected under FISA section 702.[17]
The sponsor-published draft sets the reporting deadline at 180 days after enactment. It covers uses of AI, constitutional and statutory safeguards, relevant information supplied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and model types; a classified annex would be permitted. The reviewed draft has blank bill-number and committee fields. These are proposed duties, not enacted reporting requirements.[18]
References
- ↑ European Commission, “EU KIDS Act to restrict social media platforms’ access to children in the EU,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 European Commission, “The KIDS Act explained,” updated September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Philip Blenkinsop, Reuters via Internazionale, “Factbox—What is in the EU’s planned KIDS Act?”, September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 CNA, “AI needs aviation-style safeguards to build trust as adoption grows: Josephine Teo,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sean Ler, AsiaOne, “Josephine Teo moots AI safety regulation,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Tony Jones, Nick Forbes and Pol Allingham, Press Association via The Irish News, “King warns of ‘existential dangers’ of AI falling into wrong hands,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Gerhard Mey, Reuters via Yahoo, “King Charles to urge AI leaders to protect humanity at Scottish meeting,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, “Have your say on the future of AI training and infrastructure in Australia,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, “Getting it right: Building AI infrastructure that works for Australia,” September 2026 consultation paper, “Purpose and scope”.
- ↑ Clare Armstrong, ABC News, “Labor considers smart glasses restrictions, new national AI standards,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ New York Attorney General, “Industry Alert: Attorney General James Urges Workers With Knowledge of Unsafe AI Development to File Whistleblower Complaints,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ New York Attorney General, “Whistleblower Portal,” reviewed September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 U.S. Courts, “Judiciary Cites Progress on Case Management, Property Authority, and AI,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, “Court Operations — Annual Report 2025,” Developing Artificial Intelligence Policies.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Office of Representative Mike Lawler, “Lawler, Gottheimer Push for Bipartisan AI Safeguards at Capitol Hill Press Conference,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Ryan King, New York Post via AOL, “Lawler and Gottheimer roll out bill targeting rogue AI agents to prevent a ‘Terminator’ sequel,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Office of Representative Addison McDowell, “McDowell Leads Bipartisan FISA AI Reporting Act to Increase Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Use Under FISA,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Sponsor-published bill draft, MCDOWE_042, September 16, 2026, section 1, pp. 1–3.