TEST AI Act of 2024
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (17 Dec 2024): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 722.
What this bill does
S. 3162, the TEST AI Act of 2024, directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Energy to jointly run a pilot program establishing one or more "testbeds"—physical or virtual environments—to support development, red-teaming (adversarial testing), and blue-teaming (vulnerability assessment and mitigation) of artificial intelligence systems. The program, to begin within a year of enactment, would focus primarily on AI systems used or being considered for use by federal agencies, with attention to risks affecting critical infrastructure and national security, such as weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferation. NIST and Energy must sign a memorandum of understanding to share resources and facilities, develop performance metrics within a year, and report evaluation findings to Congress annually starting three years in. The pilot and related agreement would sunset after seven years. The bill also includes provisions directing the Department of Energy to screen certain foreign nationals seeking access to National Laboratories for counterintelligence risks and to report periodically to Congress on such access.
The bill primarily affects federal agencies developing or deploying AI, NIST, the Department of Energy and its National Laboratories, and private-sector or academic partners that may participate in testbed activities. It could also affect foreign nationals seeking access to National Laboratories, who would be subject to new risk-screening procedures.
The bill was introduced in October 2023 by Senator Ben Ray Luján, with bipartisan cosponsors, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. On July 31, 2024, the committee ordered it reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, replacing the original text with the current pilot-program approach. As of the latest action, it has been placed on the Senate calendar (Calendar No. 722) but had not received a floor vote before the end of the 118th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Timeline
17 Dec 2024
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 722.
Common questions
- What does S. 3162 do?
- S. 3162, the TEST AI Act of 2024, directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Energy to jointly run a pilot program establishing one or more "testbeds"—physical or virtual environments—to support development, red-teaming (adversarial testing), and blue-teaming (vulnerability assessment and mitigation) of artificial intelligence systems. The program, to begin within a year of enactment, would focus primarily on AI systems used or being considered for use by federal agencies, with attention to risks affecting critical infrastructure and national security, such as weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferation. NIST and Energy must sign a memorandum of understanding to share resources and facilities, develop performance metrics within a year, and report evaluation findings to Congress annually starting three years in. The pilot and related agreement would sunset after seven years. The bill also includes provisions directing the Department of Energy to screen certain foreign nationals seeking access to National Laboratories for counterintelligence risks and to report periodically to Congress on such access. The bill primarily affects federal agencies developing or deploying AI, NIST, the Department of Energy and its National Laboratories, and private-sector or academic partners that may participate in testbed activities. It could also affect foreign nationals seeking access to National Laboratories, who would be subject to new risk-screening procedures. The bill was introduced in October 2023 by Senator Ben Ray Luján, with bipartisan cosponsors, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. On July 31, 2024, the committee ordered it reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, replacing the original text with the current pilot-program approach. As of the latest action, it has been placed on the Senate calendar (Calendar No. 722) but had not received a floor vote before the end of the 118th Congress.
- Has S. 3162 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for S. 3162. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored S. 3162?
- S. 3162 was sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), with 5 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 3162?
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 722. (17 Dec 2024).
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