A new bill introduced in the Senate would place limits, among other things, on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to monitor Americans.
Under the Trump administration, the Department of Defense was renamed the Department of the Army.
of AI Guardrail Law The bill, proposed by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., on March 17, would also prohibit the Pentagon from using AI technology to launch nuclear weapons or “launch autonomous weapons to kill without human authorization,” the senator’s office said.
“Congress has been slow to put left-right limits on the use of AI, and the first place to start should be the Department of Defense,” Slotkin said.
Slotkin acknowledged that AI technology will shape the future to protect U.S. national security, saying, “We must win the AI race with China.”
“But that requires action to put limits on AI in the Department of Defense,” she said, adding, “This is just common sense.”
On the surveillance front, Sen. Slotkin’s office said the U.S. law provides protection against “potential abuses of power by the U.S. government, including domestic mass surveillance.” This bill would further prevent the government from violating individual privacy and constitutional rights by clearly and unequivocally prohibiting the Department of Defense from using AI for domestic mass surveillance.
Regarding the bill restricting the use of AI technology to launch nuclear weapons, the senator’s office said the bill would “ensure that the decision to launch a nuclear weapon rests solely with the commander-in-chief, not a machine.”
“These safeguards are applied throughout the AI lifecycle, from development and testing to deployment and continued monitoring post-deployment,” her office said.
Slotkin’s bill follows an ongoing dispute between the federal government, primarily the Department of Defense, and AI company Anthropic. The controversy centers on Anthropic’s refusal to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance of U.S. citizens or for autonomous lethal weapons. of conflict The situation further escalated when President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to terminate their contracts with the company. humanity is submitted Two lawsuits alleging unlawful retaliation.
Mr. Slotkin’s bill does not appear to have any companion legislation in the House.
