Global Courant
The possibility that an artificial intelligence system could launch a nuclear strike on its own has prompted House lawmakers to propose legislative language that would ensure America’s nuclear arsenal remains under human control.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., has proposed a bipartisan amendment to the Defense Policy Act of 2024 that would require the Pentagon to implement a system that ensures “meaningful human control is required to launch a nuclear weapon.” It defines human control by saying that humans should have the final say in selecting and attacking targets, including when, where and how they will be hit with a nuclear weapon.
It’s a concept senior military leaders say they already follow. In April, top AI advisers from US Central Command told Fox News Digital that their goal is to use AI to more quickly assess data and provide options to military leaders, but to let humans have the final say in tactical military decisions.
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Representatives Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require human control over nuclear launch decisions.
The bipartisan support for Lieu’s amendment, however, shows that lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the idea that AI itself can respond to decisions as quickly as it can assess the situation. Lieu’s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is supported by GOP lawmakers Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and Zachary Nunn of Iowa, along with Democrats Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Don Beyer of Virginia .
House Republicans are expected to begin work as early as next week to decide which of the more than 1,300 proposed amendments to the NDAA will receive a vote on the House floor. Lieu’s proposal isn’t the only AI-related amendment to the bill — another sign that while Congress hasn’t yet passed anything close to a broad bill regulating this emerging technology, it’s likely to take a piecemeal approach to the issue.
D-Mass Deputy Stephen Lynch proposed a similar amendment to the NDAA that would require the Defense Department to adhere to the Biden administration’s February guidelines on AI on the “responsible military use of artificial intelligence and autonomy” .
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Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has introduced a bill requiring “responsible development and use” of AI, but some lawmakers want to go further. (Getty Images)
That non-binding directive says, among other things, that nations should “maintain human control and involvement in all actions critical to informing and enforcing sovereign decisions regarding the use of nuclear weapons.
“States should design and develop military AI capabilities so that they can detect and avoid unintended consequences, and disable or deactivate deployed systems that exhibit unintended behavior,” it added. “States should also implement other appropriate safeguards to mitigate the risks of major failure.”
However, not all amendments are aimed at slowing down AI. A proposal from Rep. Josh Gottheimer, DN.J., would establish a US-Israel Artificial Intelligence Center focused on collaborative research on AI and machine learning with military applications.
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Lawmakers have several proposals for how the Pentagon should handle AI, including one that would require cooperation with Israel. (STAFF/AFP via Getty Images)
“The Secretary of State and the heads of other relevant federal agencies, subject to the availability of appropriations, may enter into cooperation agreements to support and enhance dialogue and planning involving international partnerships between the State Department or such agencies and the Government of Israel and its ministries, offices and institutions,” the amendment said.
Another, from Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., would require the Pentagon to establish a process for testing and evaluating major language models like ChatGPT on topics such as how factual they are and the extent to which they are biased or promote disinformation.
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The bill passed by the House Armed Services Committee last month already contains language that would require the Pentagon to create a process that ensures the “responsible development and use” of AI, and to study the potential use of autonomous systems to army work more efficiently.
Pete Kasperowicz is a political editor at Fox News Digital.
