Sen. Adam Schiff is introducing legislation that would place new restrictions on the Pentagon’s use of artificial intelligence, the latest in a wave of Democratic proposals aimed at regulating the rapidly advancing technology, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The California Democrat’s bill would require meaningful human involvement in decisions involving AI-powered weapons systems and prohibit the use of artificial intelligence for domestic surveillance by the War Department. The proposal would codify and expand existing Pentagon guidelines governing military AI use.
“We’re no longer anticipating these impacts. They’re here,” Schiff said, adding that “AI could very well be the dominant issue in the next presidential election.”
Schiff plans to push for the measure to be included in the annual defense authorization bill. The proposal comes as lawmakers from both parties grapple with the national security, economic and societal implications of increasingly powerful AI systems.
The legislation follows similar efforts by Democrat Sens. Mark Kelly, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elissa Slotkin, who have introduced measures addressing AI oversight and safeguards.
