A newly introduced bill would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to add more artificial intelligence programs and perform more tasks around regulating AI models implemented at the department.
The AI Advancement Act of 2023 was introduced on Oct. 17 by Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and co-sponsored by Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Todd Young, R-Ind.
The bill would require the DoD to create an AI bug bounty program for AI models integrated into the department. Bug bounties are a rapid and cost-efficient way for DoD to identify and remediate unknown vulnerabilities before an adversary can exploit them. When conducting bug bounties, the department invites security researchers to hack specific systems, while following a set of parameters.
If the bill is passed, the department has a year to brief the congressional defense committees on the “development and implementation of bug bounty programs … and long-term plans … with respect to such bug bounty programs,” according to the text of the bill.
In addition, the bill requires that the department perform a study on vulnerabilities for AI-enabled military applications – to be submitted a year after the bill is passed. According to the text of the legislation, the report should include:
- research and development needs and transition pathways to advance explainable and interpretable AI-enabled military applications;
- potential risks to the privacy, security, and accuracy of underlying architectures and algorithms of AI-enabled military applications;
- survivability and traceability of decision support systems that are integrated with AI-enabled military applications and used in a contested environment;
- identification of existing AI metrics, developmental, testing, and audit capabilities, personnel, and infrastructure within the DoD; and
- identification of gaps or research needs to sufficiently respond to the elements outlined in this subsection that are not currently, or not sufficiently, funded within the DoD.
The DoD would also need to report on ways to improve data sharing, interoperability, and quality for AI technologies implemented in the department. The bill also requires a report on AI regulation in the financial services industry.
