The National Security Agency (NSA) would be required to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) security playbook under new bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday in the Senate.
Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., introduced the Advanced AI Security Readiness Act to secure advanced technologies from foreign threats – a companion to a similar bipartisan law introduced in the House.
Specifically, the bill directs NSA to develop strategies to identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats, and to identify vulnerabilities within AI technologies and supply chains.
“America’s leadership in advanced technology depends on our ability to protect it. As our foreign adversaries race to steal and exploit cutting-edge AI systems, we must stay ahead of these threats,” Young said in a statement. “The Advanced AI Security Readiness Act will ensure the intelligence professionals at NSA have the tools and direction needed to safeguard U.S. innovation and preserve America’s technology advantages.”
Kelly added that the “bipartisan legislation gets the NSA prepared to spot attacks early and defend our country’s AI innovation from anyone trying to exploit it.”
The bill would require NSA to recommend strategies to mitigate insider threats with personnel vetting, procedures that implement network access controls, measures that address counterintelligence, and processes that reduce threats of technology theft or sabotage, according to the bill’s text.
To do this, the NSA director would collaborate with AI developers, researchers, national laboratories, and other federal agencies to assess the capabilities of advanced AI systems related to national security.
NSA would also submit a report to Congress within six months of the bill’s passage with updates on guidance development and insights on AI security. A final report would be required within one year, including an unclassified version for industry.
An act with the same title was introduced in the House Select Committee on China in June by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Darin LaHood, R-Ill., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.