[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1250 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 1250

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      December 8, 2020.
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY 
              OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Findings.--The House of Representatives finds the following:
            (1) In general, artificial intelligence is the ability of a computer 
        system to solve problems and to perform tasks that would otherwise 
        require human intelligence.
            (2) Artificial intelligence will transform the nature of work and 
        nearly all aspects of the United States economy.
            (3) Artificial intelligence will have immense implications for the 
        security of the United States and its allies and partners.
            (4) Investments made by the United States Government will be 
        instrumental in the research and development of artificial intelligence 
        and artificial intelligence-enabling technologies, as it has been for 
        many of the world's revolutionary technologies.
            (5) Developing and using artificial intelligence in ways that are 
        ethical, reduce bias, promote fairness, and protect privacy is essential 
        for fostering a positive effect on society consistent with core United 
        States values.
            (6) The Obama Administration released the Big Data Research and 
        Development Initiative in 2012, Executive Order 13702 (relating to 
        creating a national strategic computing initiative) in 2015, and the 
        National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan 
        in 2016.
            (7) The Trump Administration released Executive Order 13859 
        (relating to maintaining American leadership in artificial 
        intelligence), updated the National Artificial Intelligence Research and 
        Development Strategic Plan in 2019, and released Office of Management 
        and Budget guidance for regulation of artificial intelligence 
        applications in 2020.
            (8) In May 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and 
        Development (OECD) adopted the OECD Principles on Artificial 
        Intelligence, which included the principles of inclusive growth, 
        sustainable development and well-being, human-centered values and 
        fairness, transparency and explainability, robustness, security and 
        safety, and accountability.
            (9) In February 2020, the European Commission began a consultation 
        process with the release of their white paper ``On Artificial 
        Intelligence - A European approach to excellence and trust'', which set 
        out policy options for a coordinated European approach to artificial 
        intelligence regulation.
            (10) In June 2020, the G7 and several partners launched the Global 
        Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to increase cooperation focused 
        around the areas of responsible artificial intelligence, data 
        governance, the future of work, and innovation and commercialization.
            (11) Several United States allies, including Canada, Denmark, 
        Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and South Korea, 
        have published national artificial intelligence strategies with detailed 
        funding commitments.
            (12) In 2017, China published a national artificial intelligence 
        strategy that detailed the Chinese Communist Party's goal to become the 
        world's primary artificial intelligence innovation center by 2030.
            (13) In 2019, Russia published a national artificial intelligence 
        strategy and, in 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 
        ``whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the 
        world''.
            (14) In 2018, the Subcommittee on Information Technology of the 
        Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
        Representatives, under the leadership of Chairman Will Hurd and Ranking 
        Member Robin Kelly, published ``Rise of the Machines: Artificial 
        Intelligence and its Growing Impact on U.S. Policy'' following a series 
        of hearings on artificial intelligence with experts from academia, 
        industry, and government, concluding that ``the United States cannot 
        maintain its global leadership in artificial intelligence absent 
        political leadership from Congress and the Executive Branch''.
            (15) Congress serves a critical role in establishing national 
        priorities, funding scientific research and development, supporting 
        emerging technologies, and sustaining cooperation with our allies to 
        protect the national security of the United States.
    (b) National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Principles.--It is the sense 
of the House of Representatives that the following principles should guide the 
national artificial intelligence strategy of the United States:
            (1) Global leadership.
            (2) A prepared workforce.
            (3) National security.
            (4) Effective research and development.
            (5) Ethics, reduced bias, fairness, and privacy.

SEC. 2. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP.

    It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 
should take a global leadership role in artificial intelligence.

SEC. 3. WORKFORCE PREPARATION.

    (a) Findings.--The House of Representatives finds the following:
            (1) Artificial intelligence and automation will present significant 
        challenges to workers in affected industries due to the automating of 
        some routine and repetitive tasks, but will also create additional 
        employment opportunities.
            (2) Closing the artificial intelligence talent gap in the short and 
        medium-term will require a targeted approach to identifying and filling 
        roles that require the skills to build and work with artificial 
        intelligence systems.
            (3) The United States should take a leadership role in the 
        artificial intelligence-driven economy by filling the artificial 
        intelligence talent gap and preparing United States workers for the jobs 
        of the future, including by prioritizing inclusivity and equal 
        opportunity.
            (4) Departments and agencies of the Federal Government are 
        increasingly using data to administer benefits, assess outcomes, and 
        fulfill other mission-critical activities.
            (5) Effectively creating, managing, and implementing artificial 
        intelligence related research and development grants will require 
        technical expertise.
            (6) Departments and agencies of the Federal Government will need to 
        be able to recruit employees with technical expertise.
            (7) Lifelong learning and skill acquisition can increase flexibility 
        with respect to career opportunities.
            (8) The United States will need to be able to attract the best 
        artificial intelligence researchers and computer scientists from around 
        the world to work in the United States.
    (b) Matters to Consider.--
            (1) Education.--It is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
        the national competitiveness of the United States in artificial 
        intelligence would benefit from--
                    (A) increased funding for Federal programs that support 
                science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer 
                science education;
                    (B) grant programs that continue funding the integration of 
                ethics courses and modules into science, engineering, and 
                computer science curricula;
                    (C) new education programs of study related to artificial 
                intelligence that incorporate industry-recognized credentials, 
                including certifications and certificates, embedded within 
                secondary and postsecondary degree programs; and
                    (D) continued support for teacher preparation programs that 
                increase the number of teachers with the ability to teach 
                science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer 
                science education.
            (2) Promoting diversity.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that--
                    (A) the inclusion of students from historically under-
                represented groups in existing technology education programs 
                would benefit a diverse artificial intelligence workforce; and
                    (B) recruitment and retention policies with respect to 
                under-represented communities and marginalized groups in the 
                Federal workforce should be reviewed for the purpose of 
                determining if such policies require modification for technology 
                workers.
            (3) Artificial intelligence training.--
                    (A) In general.--It is the sense of the House of 
                Representatives that the Federal Government should assess the 
                effectiveness of current public workforce development programs 
                with respect to the additional support such programs will need 
                to effectively address job disruptions and job creations that 
                result from the increased use of artificial intelligence.
                    (B) Work-based learning and on-the-job training programs.--
                It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
                Government should support the adoption of work-based learning 
                and on-the-job training programs to prepare the United States 
                workforce for an artificial intelligence-influenced economy, 
                including by--
                            (i) undertaking studies to determine best practices 
                        to implement such programs; and
                            (ii) ensuring that there is sufficient Federal 
                        funding to support high-quality programs that coordinate 
                        with Federal workforce development programs.
            (4) Federal hiring practices.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that the Federal Government should--
                    (A) allow technical experts to use their skills to assist 
                multiple departments and agencies of the Federal Government, 
                such as the United States Digital Service;
                    (B) focus on the retention of non-partisan experts within 
                the Federal Government who are working to modernize Federal 
                information technology;
                    (C) include in the criteria for recruiting for artificial 
                intelligence jobs the consideration of a multi-disciplinary set 
                of skills, including an understanding of ethical practices with 
                respect to the design and use of artificial intelligence 
                systems, privacy, information security, law, and civil 
                liberties;
                    (D) review hiring practices for employment in the Federal 
                Government for the purpose of ensuring that such practices do 
                not disqualify individuals with a less traditional background, 
                including due to a lack of undergraduate or graduate degree 
                attainment, who have skills that will benefit work in artificial 
                intelligence systems management and research and development; 
                and
                    (E) conduct studies with respect to best practices for 
                skills-based hiring.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL SECURITY.

    (a) Findings.--The House of Representatives finds the following:
            (1) Artificial intelligence will have immense implications for 
        national and international security.
            (2) Artificial intelligence tools and systems can augment human 
        intelligence through human-machine collaboration and teaming across the 
        national security ecosystem.
            (3) Ensuring that the public trusts the ability of the military to 
        ethically use artificial intelligence and that human operators in human-
        machine teams trust the artificial intelligence will be critical factors 
        with respect to the successful implementation of artificial intelligence 
        systems.
            (4) The continued proliferation of national artificial intelligence 
        strategies, plans, statements, and investments demonstrates the increase 
        in global competition in this area.
            (5) New paradigms will be required to effectively test artificial 
        intelligence and to ensure that it is reliable and stable.
            (6) Export and investment controls will be important policy tools to 
        prevent the acquisition of sensitive artificial intelligence and 
        artificial intelligence-enabling technologies, including hardware such 
        as semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, by China, 
        Russia, and other adversaries.
    (b) Matters to Consider.--
            (1) Collaboration with foreign nations.--It is the sense of the 
        House of Representatives that the United States should--
                    (A) leverage its alliances to promote democratic principles, 
                foster research collaboration, and develop common standards with 
                respect to artificial intelligence;
                    (B) promote the interoperability of artificial intelligence 
                for the purpose of strengthening alliances;
                    (C) along with allies, take a leading role in international 
                forums to set artificial intelligence principles, norms, and 
                standards; and
                    (D) undertake efforts to engage with China and Russia with 
                respect to--
                            (i) shared concerns about artificial intelligence 
                        safety; and
                            (ii) confidence-building by establishing crisis 
                        communications procedures designed to reduce the 
                        likelihood of unintentional use and the risk of 
                        escalation with respect to artificial intelligence 
                        systems.
            (2) Foreign artificial intelligence capability.--It is the sense of 
        the House of Representatives that national security agencies should 
        consider conditions-based and capabilities-based approaches when 
        evaluating global artificial intelligence capabilities.
            (3) Development and deployment.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that national security agencies should--
                    (A) collaborate with experts in academia, the private 
                sector, and other departments and agencies of the Federal 
                Government to develop best practices for testing, evaluation, 
                validation, and verification of artificial intelligence systems;
                    (B) devote agency resources, including investing in 
                research, for the purpose of promoting trustworthiness with 
                respect to human-machine teams;
                    (C) engage with experts to develop guidelines for the 
                ethical development and use of artificial intelligence systems; 
                and
                    (D) prioritize the development of artificial intelligence 
                systems to cover non-critical tasks until such systems can 
                achieve suitable standards of reliability, interoperability, and 
                security.
            (4) Export and investment controls.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that the United States should collaborate with its 
        allies to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence systems by 
        China, Russia, and other adversaries.

SEC. 5. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Findings.--The House of Representatives finds the following:
            (1) Federal funding plays an important role in research and 
        development.
            (2) Federal research and development investments need to be 
        significantly increased to ensure United States leadership in artificial 
        intelligence.
            (3) Federally supported research will play an important role in 
        supporting artificial intelligence techniques that are critical to 
        United States artificial intelligence leadership, including by exploring 
        novel techniques that leverage smaller data sets to train artificial 
        intelligence systems and making more efficient use of computing 
        resources.
            (4) Artificial intelligence advances are enabled by Federal research 
        and development investments in other technology sectors because United 
        States economic competitiveness and national security will depend on 
        strong capabilities across a range of technologies.
            (5) Computing power is essential to progress in artificial 
        intelligence development, and the amount of computing power required for 
        artificial intelligence training runs is increasing exponentially.
            (6) A new wave of technological advances could be fostered by 
        combining and increasing access to government-owned and government-
        funded computing and data resources.
            (7) Expanding access to digital infrastructure, such as broadband, 
        will be essential to creating new job opportunities and stimulating the 
        growth of new technology and innovation clusters to support United 
        States leadership in artificial intelligence.
            (8) Incentivizing research and development across the private 
        sector, particularly from smaller companies, will further strengthen the 
        United States innovation ecosystem.
            (9) The United States is an attractive research and development 
        partner because it is home to world-class universities, research 
        institutes, and corporations.
            (10) Decades of experience show that joint work with foreign 
        researchers can be done with great benefit and little detriment to 
        United States economic and national security with the implementation of 
        proper safeguards.
            (11) Artificial intelligence standards and measurement are essential 
        to fostering artificial intelligence technologies that are safe, secure, 
        reliable, and comport with the norms and values of the United States.
            (12) Metrics are how the artificial intelligence research community 
        guides itself and prioritizes research.
            (13) Benchmark tests are necessary to understand the performance of 
        an artificial intelligence system.
            (14) Current tests for measuring artificial intelligence range from 
        vague and conceptual to well-defined and mature.
            (15) Artificial intelligence measurement methodologies are not 
        static and will require periodic reexaminations and updates of testing 
        methodologies to ensure that artificial intelligence systems are 
        functioning according to best-known practices.
            (16) United States leadership in global artificial intelligence 
        standards-setting will help ensure that artificial intelligence 
        implementations are in accordance with United States strengths and 
        comport with the interests and values of the United States.
            (17) Public engagement is necessary for developing voluntary 
        consensus standards, guidelines, and frameworks to ensure diverse 
        perspectives are considered.
    (b) Matters to Consider.--
            (1) Federal funding.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that the Federal Government should increase investments 
        in artificial intelligence research and development and related fields.
            (2) Collaboration with other entities.--It is the sense of the House 
        of Representatives that departments and agencies of the Federal 
        Government should collaborate--
                    (A) with the private sector, civil society, and academia--
                            (i) to ensure that the United States innovation 
                        ecosystem leads the world in artificial intelligence 
                        research and development; and
                            (ii) to develop voluntary consensus standards, 
                        guidelines, and frameworks that will help create shared 
                        conceptual foundations, terminology, and best practices 
                        for artificial intelligence fairness and bias 
                        mitigation; and
                    (B) with science funding organizations in like-minded 
                countries to establish multilateral teams of artificial 
                intelligence researchers from the public and private sectors to 
                promote additional talent development and foster partnerships on 
                artificial intelligence research and development.
            (3) Expanding digital access.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that the Federal Government should--
                    (A) expand access to broadband in rural and underserved 
                areas;
                    (B) expand the availability of affordable graphics 
                processing units and high-performance computers in rural and 
                underserved areas;
                    (C) improve digital infrastructure in the United States; and
                    (D) make data created by federally-funded scientific and 
                technical research publicly available with appropriate privacy 
                protections to provide artificial intelligence researchers with 
                new data sets to train their systems.
            (4) National computing and data resource.--It is the sense of the 
        House of Representatives that Congress should consider establishing a 
        national computing and data resource.
            (5) Access to national laboratories.--It is the sense of the House 
        of Representatives that the existing supercomputing labs at the national 
        laboratories and technology centers of the Department of Energy should 
        expand opportunities for academics and researchers to access such labs 
        for artificial intelligence research and research related to artificial 
        intelligence.
            (6) Tax incentives.--It is the sense of the House of Representatives 
        that Congress should examine whether targeted incentives and reforms to 
        the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 would increase private sector research 
        and development, particularly with respect to small cap corporations.

SEC. 6. ETHICS, REDUCED BIAS, FAIRNESS, AND PRIVACY.

    (a) Findings.--The House of Representatives finds the following:
            (1) The rise of artificial intelligence has great potential to 
        improve quality of life for individuals in the United States, provided 
        it is developed and used in a manner that is ethical, reduces bias, 
        promotes fairness, and protects privacy.
            (2) A diverse artificial intelligence workforce is important for 
        mitigating bias.
            (3) The United States is uniquely positioned to leverage its diverse 
        workforce to lead in artificial intelligence.
            (4) The starting point for Federal oversight of artificial 
        intelligence should be to review existing regulatory frameworks.
            (5) Regulatory sandboxes, in general, refer to regulatory structures 
        where a participant obtains limited or temporary access to a market in 
        exchange for reduced regulatory uncertainty, and can be used to test a 
        product designed to mitigate unintended bias or promote fairness in a 
        small-scale environment and under the supervision of regulators.
            (6) Federal programs should have necessary safeguards and oversight 
        processes.
            (7) Artificial intelligence regulatory approaches should consider 
        the level of risk associated with different artificial intelligence 
        applications.
    (b) Matters to Consider.--
            (1) Bias mitigation.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that departments and agencies of the Federal Government 
        should--
                    (A) support technical and non-technical research and 
                development to address potential bias, fairness, and privacy 
                issues in artificial intelligence;
                    (B) improve access to a broad range of non-sensitive 
                government data assets to help train artificial intelligence 
                systems;
                    (C) implement title II of the Foundations for Evidence-Based 
                Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435; 132 Stat. 5529);
                    (D) develop policies to identify the data used to train 
                artificial intelligence algorithms as well as data analyzed by 
                artificial intelligence algorithms and systems in use by 
                departments and agencies; and
                    (E) further develop and release to the public available 
                benchmark data assets with the proper safeguards to protect 
                privacy, mitigate bias, and promote inclusivity.
            (2) Regulation and legislation review.--It is the sense of the House 
        of Representatives that congressional committees should--
                    (A) review the range of existing Federal regulations and 
                laws that potentially apply to artificial intelligence;
                    (B) determine which laws apply to artificial intelligence;
                    (C) determine if any gaps in appropriate legislation and 
                regulation exist and how such gaps could be addressed;
                    (D) advance Federal privacy reforms that build trust, 
                prevent harm, and maintain United States global leadership in 
                artificial intelligence; and
                    (E) conduct regular oversight of artificial intelligence 
                policies in the executive branch within their jurisdiction.
            (3) Federal funding.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that Congress should support funding for departments and 
        agencies of the Federal Government interested in adopting programs, 
        including regulatory sandboxes, for the purposes of testing artificial 
        intelligence tools in limited markets.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.