Members of the House Armed Services Committee are demanding several updates from the Pentagon on whether it is effectively using artificial intelligence to defend against growing threats from China and other adversaries.
The committee on Monday released its annual proposal for the defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which will be considered by various subcommittees starting Tuesday. The section of the bill that deals with cyber and information technology was accompanied by several demands for updates on the Defense Department’s efforts to incorporate AI into its national security posture.
One of these demands relates directly to China, which the committee said has an increasing presence in disputed waters around the world that threatens U.S. national security.
The House Armed Services Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., released its new defense policy bill that calls for several updates on AI. (Oliver Contreras / AFP)
Lawmakers noted a broad plan by DOD to create a Joint All-Domain Command and Control system that uses AI to assess data from a broad range of military sensors and make it easier for military commanders to make real-time decisions. They also said the Air Force could benefit from a similar system and asked the secretary of the Air Force to report to the committee by next January.
The committee pushed the Pentagon to report back on several other AI initiatives, including the creation of an “AI education strategy” aimed at educating service members on how to use AI. Members want DOD to brief them on that subject by next March.
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In April, U.S. Central Command’s top AI adviser told Fox News Digital that the military is hoping it can use AI to quickly absorb data and help military leaders make faster decisions, but the adviser, Dr. Andrew Moore, said the goal is to keep people in charge of these decisions, not AI systems.