Artificial intelligence bills included in FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), co-founders of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said two of their bipartisan bills addressing Artificial Intelligence and the U.S. government have passed as part of the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

The bills, the Senators said, will strengthen the U.S. government’s artificial intelligence (AI) readiness, support investments in AI ethics and safety research, and increase governmental AI transparency.

“When Congress created the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, it was with the expectation that the Commission provide Congress with the ideas to keep the United States as the world’s AI leader. I am pleased to say that the Commission has delivered,” Portman said. “I am pleased that these important pieces of legislation have been included in the FY 2022 NDAA so that we can continue to implement the good ideas that the Commission has spent so long developing. Ensuring that AI is trustworthy and transparent and that our warfighters are skilled in the nuances of emerging technology are common sense priorities.”

The first bill, the Artificial Intelligence Capabilities and Transparency (AICT) Act, will implement National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) recommendations. The recommendations were made in the Commission’s final report. The AICT Act will increase the federal government’s AI capabilities by improving talent recruitment and enabling agencies to adopt new AI technology quickly while maintaining transparency and accountability.

The second bill, the Artificial Intelligence for the Military (AIM) Act, will operationalize more NSCAI recommendations related to the military’s technology workforce. The bill requires senior military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon to receive training on AI topics and their national security implications.

“Artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and challenges for our nation’s security, and we need to be prepared for both,” said Heinrich. “Senator Portman and I have worked together to pass several bipartisan solutions that put into place the right policy and people in these emerging technologies. Now, it’s time to build off of that momentum and strengthen the federal government’s AI capabilities while also increasing the public’s trust in this technology. By transparently boosting our federal digital workforce and talent recruitment, we send a clear signal to the world – and our adversaries – that we are prepared to take AI head-on.”