Bill includes important steps to improve oversight of AI in the military
The Senate on Tuesday released its draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill which includes important steps towards improving oversight of AI in the military and AI-enabled autonomous weapons systems. The Senate bill includes significant measures requiring Pentagon review and verification of different AI models, privacy impact assessments, and an incident repository to track when AI systems break down.
“As autonomous weapons systems and AI become increasingly integrated into America’s military, the United States must ensure that these technologies are secure and understood by the commanders and operators who will depend on them,” said ARI President Brad Carson. “The Senate NDAA takes initial steps toward that goal. By requiring stronger review and verification of AI models, recognizing the need to assess privacy risks, and reporting when AI-enabled systems fail or behave unexpectedly, the bill would help build the foundational infrastructure needed to safely and securely deploy AI in military operations. These safeguards will help ensure that AI strengthens America’s military readiness without sacrificing reliability or trust.”
The Senate NDAA follows the release of the House NDAA draft last month. The House bill included steps to build a more AI-literate workforce, accelerate the deployment of AI models, and updates to Department of War policies governing autonomous weapons systems and AI enabled systems, but failed to adopt policies to strengthen human oversight and control requirements for autonomous weapons systems.
In a national poll released earlier this year, ARI found overwhelming concerns among American voters about the use of AI for government surveillance and for autonomous weapons without human oversight. A full 75 percent of Americans agree that decisions about using lethal force in war should involve meaningful human judgment rather than being left entirely to AI systems.
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Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest, focused on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Learn more at ARI.us.