Washington, D.C.— Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) today introduced the Responsible Innovation and Safe Expertise (RISE) Act of 2025, clarifying that when professionals—such as physicians, attorneys, engineers, and financial advisors—use AI systems in their practice, they retain the legal duty to exercise due diligence, verify the system’s outputs, and stand behind the advice they deliver.
“Wyoming values both innovation and accountability; the RISE Act creates predictable standards that encourage safer AI development while preserving professional autonomy,” said Lummis. “This legislation doesn’t create blanket immunity for AI – in fact, it requires AI developers to publicly disclose model specifications so professionals can make informed decisions about the AI tools they choose to utilize. It also means that licensed professionals are ultimately responsible for the advice and decisions they make. This is smart policy for the digital age that protects innovation, demands transparency, and puts professionals and their clients first.”
Background:
- This is the first targeted liability reform legislation for professional-grade AI.
- AI is transforming professional industries including medicine, law, engineering, and finance, with these tools increasingly being utilized in critical decision-making processes that impact millions of Americans.
- Current liability rules create barriers to innovation by exposing AI developers to legal risk, even when their tools are used responsibly by trained, licensed professionals in their areas of expertise.
- Developers face a patchwork of state-by-state liability standards, creating legal uncertainty that discourages investment in professional-grade AI.
- Developers may claim safe-harbor immunity only if they publicly release a model card and key design specifications so that physicians, attorneys, engineers, and other professionals can understand what the AI can and cannot do before relying on it for decisions that affect millions of Americans.