Lawmakers introduced several measures this week looking to rein in some of the potential abuses and dangers of using AI, as well as a proposal that looks to leverage AI for pediatric cancer research and treatment. #
Oversight of AI use under FISA
Bipartisan House lawmakers introduced legislation on Thursday that would require the Director of National Intelligence to submit a report to Congress detailing how artificial intelligence is being used “to acquire, analyze, query, disseminate or otherwise access information” collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The powerful foreign spying authority allows intelligence agencies, like the NSA and FBI, to collect the communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant. The program is controversial, however, because messages and calls from Americans communicating with foreign targets can also be intercepted. Congress failed to reauthorize Section 702 earlier this year, although it is continuing to operate in the meantime through its existing court authorization.
The measure, from Reps. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., and James Walkinshaw, D-Va., calls for the report to be submitted within 180 days of the bill’s enactment. In addition to how AI is being used, the bill also calls for an assessment of the safeguards in place around the use of the tools, as well as further details about the types of models being used under Section 702.
“Artificial intelligence is changing the way industries across our country are collecting and analyzing information,” McDowell said in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to ensure these tools strengthen our national security while protecting the constitutional rights and freedoms that define our Nation.”
Cracking down on the use of automatic license plate readers
Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Michael Cloud, R-Texas, rolled out a bill on Tuesday to rein in the use of automatic license plate readers by law enforcement agencies.
Their legislation, the No Federal License-Plate Observation and Camera Keeping — or NO FLOCK — Act, is a nod to plate readers provided by surveillance firm Flock Safety, which has come under fire in recent months amid privacy and civil rights concerns associated with the use of its technologies.
The lawmakers’ proposal would require that states enact laws limiting the use of the automatic license plate readers “to specific public safety and toll-enforcement purposes.” States that fail to enforce or pass the restrictions would, after a two-fiscal-year implementation period, have 10% of their federal surface transportation funding withheld each fiscal year.
“Automated license plate readers can be powerful tools for law enforcement to investigate serious crimes and protect our communities, but they must not become tools for officers to stalk ex-partners or spy on people for personal reasons,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “Our investigation into Flock exposed serious gaps in oversight, and this bipartisan bill would put clear limits in place to prevent abuse while preserving legitimate public safety uses.”
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism is scheduled to hold a hearing on Sept. 23 into Flock’s nationwide use.
Using AI to drive advances in pediatric cancer research
A bipartisan trio of House lawmakers is pushing a measure that looks to enhance the use of AI and other emerging technologies within pediatric cancer research and treatment.
The bill — from Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Ami Bera, D-Calif., and Mike Kelly, R-Pa. — looks to use AI to accelerate pediatric cancer breakthroughs “by improving data sharing, strengthening predictive modeling, and modernizing clinical trials.” All three lawmakers are co-chairs of the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus.
The proposal would also establish an AI coordinator to help streamline pediatric cancer research and treatment efforts across government and through public-private partnerships, and also codify and enhance support for the National Cancer Institute’s Childhood Cancer Data Initiative.
“We owe it to our nation's children to leverage cutting-edge AI to improve their care and treatment options,” McCaul said. “I'm proud to introduce this bill, which codifies and builds on President Trump's executive order to unlock cures for pediatric cancer patients. By empowering AI to continuously drive research forward, we move one step closer to beating this heartbreaking disease once and for all.”
Confronting rogue AI agents
Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., also introduced the Stop Rogue AI Act on Tuesday to help craft guidelines that agencies and the private sector can use to address the dangers posed by maverick capabilities.
Their bill calls for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop “national standards, guidelines, and best practices for discovering, verifying and controlling AI agents.” These standards would be directed to, in part, include ways that entities can identify and track AI agents on their systems, verify the builders and operators of agents, and monitor agents in real time.
Federal contractors and agencies would also be mandated to include those standards into the ways that they buy and deploy AI agents.
“AI agents are becoming more capable and more deeply integrated into our government and economy,” Lawler said in a statement. “We need to make sure we know what these systems are, what they can access, and who is responsible for them. We can harness the benefits of AI while making sure these systems don’t operate in the shadows of the networks they have access to.”