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December 08, 2020

Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Applaud Passage of AI Initiative in Final NDAA Conference Report

(Washington, DC) — Today, the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report passed the House floor. Included was an amendment to create a National Artificial Intelligence Initiative to accelerate and coordinate Federal investments and facilitate new public-private partnerships in research, standards, and education in artificial intelligence in order to ensure the United States leads the world in the development and use of trustworthy artificial intelligence systems. This amendment, offered during the House Armed Services Committee markup of NDAA by Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK), was based on H.R. 6216, the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, introduced by Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) in March 2020.

Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) made the following statement. 

“We are proud of our bipartisan achievement in moving toward passage of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act into law. Enactment of this legislation will be one of the signature achievements of our Committee and the Congress this year. The passage of the National AI Initiative Act sends a signal to both our allies and adversaries that the United States will continue to be a global leader in the development and adoption of trustworthy artificial intelligence. This legislation will create a broad national strategy to accelerate our investments in the responsible research and development of this critical technology, and the education and training of an AI workforce in the United States. Technological progress does not have to come at the expense of safety, security, fairness, or transparency. In fact, embedding our values in technology development is central to our economic competitiveness and national security.”

“We would like to thank our colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee, the Armed Services Committees, the many other Committees in the House and Senate who contributed to this legislation, and the dozens of stakeholders who advised us during its development.”