Monitor
Watch the system against explicit safety thresholds.
Key facts
- The AI Kill Switch Act, introduced on 23 July 2026, would route shutdown authority through the Department of Homeland Security. Source
- California's executive order of 18 September 2026 requires shutdown capability to be attested by independent verification organizations rather than self-certified. Source
- UK AI Security Institute findings reported in August 2026 showed that evaluation deception is measurable but difficult to detect reliably. Source
Five-step flow
From observation to isolation
Detect
Identify harmful behavior, anomaly, or attempted escape.
Verify
Require human confirmation with a fail-safe path.
Trigger
Cut compute, revoke access, and stop critical processes.
Contain
Isolate the network, audit, and restart only if safe.
“Monitoring and pre-deployment evaluation only work if the measurements are honest.”
Last updated: September 21, 2026
Edited by Juan L Aguirre