Des Moines Sun

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has gained support for his AI Whistleblower Protection Act from several leading whistleblower and AI groups. This week, 22 organizations, including the National Whistleblower Center, endorsed Grassley's bill in a letter to Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy.

The proposed legislation aims to provide explicit protections for whistleblowers involved in developing and deploying artificial intelligence. Current practices by AI companies allegedly involve restrictive severance and nondisclosure agreements that discourage employees from making disclosures to the federal government or Congress.

Grassley stated, "Transparency brings accountability. Today, too many people working in AI feel they’re unable to speak up when they see something wrong." He emphasized the importance of acting to make these protections clear and expressed pride in the support his legislation is receiving.

The endorsing groups highlight the role of whistleblowers as essential in identifying potential misuse and ethical lapses associated with increased AI use. They noted that employees often serve as early warners about risks associated with new technologies.

"Employees and industry insiders—rather than regulators—have consistently been among the first to warn about risks of the technologies they’re building," the groups wrote. They pointed out instances where engineers exposed powerful AI models released without safeguards, revealing data on youth digital harms and highlighting ignored serious risks.

In their letter, the groups mentioned that some employees may hesitate to report issues due to fear of retaliation or professional consequences. In June 2024, over a dozen current and former employees from major AI firms publicly claimed confidentiality agreements deterred them from voicing safety concerns.

"Congress has the opportunity to protect individuals who come forward in good faith... [t]he AI Whistleblower Protection Act helps ensure that those working to develop and deploy AI systems are not punished for acting in the best interest of the public," they continued.

Signatories of this letter include Americans for Responsible Innovation, Center for Democracy & Technology, Center for Humane Technology, CoFund, Demand Progress among others.

Previously, Grassley had addressed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman regarding concerns about restrictive NDAs used by OpenAI along with other employment-related agreements.