U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL), John Moolenaar, (RMI) Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) have introduced legislation that would require the National Security Agency to create a plan to protect AI against foreign adversaries.
LaHood, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Select Committee on China, said the legislation would create a playbook to protect American advanced technology from espionage and theft.
“The Chinese Communist Party is aggressively targeting the United States’ advanced AI technology to undermine our national security,” LaHood said. “As AI becomes an integrated part of society, Congress must ensure that the United States fortifies our technology defenses and remains the undeniable leader. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Advanced AI Security Readiness Act to draw a clear line that we will not allow our foreign adversaries to steal, exploit, or weaponize American innovation. Congress must secure our capabilities and ensure the United States stays ahead in this critical domain.”
The Congressmen said evidence exists linking the Chinese Communist Party’s DeepSeek with illegal distillation techniques to steal insights from U.S. AI models that accelerated their own technological developments. The legislation, the Advanced AI Security Readiness Act would direct the NSA’s AI Security Center to develop on AI Security Playbook that would address vulnerabilities, threat detection, cyber and physical security strategies and contingency plans.
“It’s simple: the U.S. must win the AI race. AI is a strategic asset vital to America’s economic and national security, not just another tech trend—it has immense power, and we should treat it that way,” Moolenaar, chair of the Select Committee on China, said. “This bill is a major win for our families, businesses, and communities, giving our national security agencies the playbook they need to defend artificial intelligence from malicious actors across the globe.”