Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., have proposed a bill that aims to enhance the federal government’s capacity to assess and test artificial intelligence tools to protect national security and citizens and foster innovation.
The proposed Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted AI Act would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to work with the Department of Energy to come up with testbeds for the assessment of trusted AI tools to meet workforce needs and advance AI-related capabilities, Risch’s office said Tuesday.
The bill seeks to improve the trustworthiness and reliability of federal and commercial AI systems and develop classified testbeds to support safeguards meant to test and prevent misuse of AI tools.
“This will help harness the talent of our National Laboratories to boost our federal capacity to implement responsible guardrails that protect our national security, ensuring this technology is not misused or manipulated,” Lujan said of the TEST AI Act.
Risch and Lujan introduced the legislation with Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Thune, R-S.D.