Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) to address terror threats posed by online radicalization pass the House unanimously.
Pfluger’s Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act will require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct an annual assessment of threats posed to the U.S. by terrorist organizations that are using generative artificial intelligence applications. The legislation stems from a hearing in the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Technology, of which Pfluger is chair, that looked at how foreign terrorist organizations use the internet to recruit and radicalize members.
During that hearing earlier this year, the subcommittee learned FTOs use GenAI by producing highly convincing propaganda videos to fabricate events and manipulate potential recruits. Pfluger’s bill would have DHS figure out which FTOs are using GenAI for terrorist activities.
“I spent two decades as a fighter pilot, flying combat missions in the Middle East against terrorist organizations. Since then, I have witnessed the terror landscape evolve into a digital battlefield shaped by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence,” he said. “While my uniform has changed, my mission to protect the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic, has not. From the cockpit to serving as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, I know how critical it is for our policies and capabilities to keep pace with the threats of tomorrow.”