The House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into Delaware's proposed Artificial Intelligence Company (AIC), a new corporate structure that would allow AI agents to run companies day-to-day while shielding the entity's single member from liability in many cases.
Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer requesting documents and communications by November 9. Comer warned that the proposal could protect powerful AI companies and investors from responsibility for reckless harmful actions and could enable non-transparent forces seeking anticompetitive regulatory capture. The committee is seeking materials dating back to January 2025, including internal AI chat logs, agreements with outside contributors, safety records and all draft proposals.
The AIC concept was unveiled in July by Delaware Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez and John Nay, CEO of legal AI firm Norm Ai, in a Fortune op-ed. Under the plan, an AIC could sue and be sued, hold property and act at its AI agent's direction. A single member would be responsible for keeping it capitalized and would be shielded from debts unless the company was undercapitalized or used for fraud or willful violations. AICs would operate only within a 30-month state-supervised regulatory sandbox, disclose their status to counterparties and be barred from banking.
Comer's letter notes that a December 2025 Delaware AI Commission report did not assess safety risks or consult independent experts, and that the Secretary of State's office declined to explain its working relationship with an AI company involved in the project. State officials have defended the effort, saying the structure would make AI conduct more visible and traceable. Patibanda-Sanchez has said the plan is not a liability shield but an attempt to define where liability lands, while Gov. Meyer said 'It is coming, and the solution is not ignoring it.' Lawmakers are expected to consider draft legislation in January.
