[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3952 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3952
To establish artificial intelligence standards, metrics, and evaluation
tools, to support artificial intelligence research, development, and
capacity building activities, to promote innovation in the artificial
intelligence industry by ensuring companies of all sizes can succeed
and thrive, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 26, 2026
Mr. Young (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Blackburn, and Mr.
Hickenlooper) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish artificial intelligence standards, metrics, and evaluation
tools, to support artificial intelligence research, development, and
capacity building activities, to promote innovation in the artificial
intelligence industry by ensuring companies of all sizes can succeed
and thrive, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Future of
Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress.
TITLE I--VOLUNTARY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STANDARDS, METRICS,
EVALUATION TOOLS, TESTBEDS, AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Sec. 100. Definitions.
Subtitle A--Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards and Innovation
and Testbeds
Sec. 101. Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards and Innovation.
Sec. 102. Interagency coordination and program to facilitate artificial
intelligence testbeds.
Sec. 103. National Institute of Standards and Technology and Department
of Energy testbed to identify, test, and
synthesize new materials.
Sec. 104. Coordination, reimbursement, and savings provisions.
Sec. 105. Progress report.
Subtitle B--International Cooperation
Sec. 111. International coalitions on innovation, development, and
alignment of standards with respect to
artificial intelligence.
Subtitle C--Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Innovation
Sec. 121. Comptroller General of the United States identification of
risks and obstacles relating to artificial
intelligence and Federal agencies.
TITLE II--ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, CAPACITY
BUILDING ACTIVITIES
Sec. 201. Public data for artificial intelligence systems.
Sec. 202. Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence.
TITLE III--RESEARCH SECURITY AND OTHER MATTERS
Sec. 301. Research security.
Sec. 302. Expansion of authority to hire critical technical experts.
Sec. 303. Certifications and audits of temporary fellows.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that policies affecting artificial
intelligence should maximize the potential, development, and use of
artificial intelligence to benefit all private and public stakeholders.
TITLE I--VOLUNTARY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STANDARDS, METRICS,
EVALUATION TOOLS, TESTBEDS, AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
SEC. 100. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence'' has the meaning given such term in section 5002
of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020
(15 U.S.C. 9401).
(2) Artificial intelligence model.--The term ``artificial
intelligence model'' means a component of an artificial
intelligence system that is--
(A) derived using mathematical, computational,
statistical, or machine-learning techniques; and
(B) used as part of an artificial intelligence
system to produce outputs from a given set of inputs.
(3) Artificial intelligence system.--The term ``artificial
intelligence system'' means an engineered or machine-based
system that--
(A) can, for a given set of objectives, generate
outputs such as predictions, recommendations, or
decisions influencing real or virtual environments; and
(B) is designed to operate with varying levels of
autonomy.
(4) Critical infrastructure.--The term ``critical
infrastructure'' has the meaning given such term in section
1016(e) of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism
(USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
(5) Federal laboratory.--The term ``Federal laboratory''
has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703).
(6) Foundation model.--The term ``foundation model'' means
an artificial intelligence model trained on broad data at scale
and is adaptable to a wide range of downstream tasks.
(7) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given such term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(8) Testbed.--The term ``testbed'' means a facility or
mechanism, virtual or otherwise, equipped for conducting
rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of tools and
technologies, including artificial intelligence systems, to
help evaluate the functionality, trustworthiness, usability,
and performance of those tools or technologies.
Subtitle A--Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards and Innovation
and Testbeds
SEC. 101. CENTER FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STANDARDS AND INNOVATION.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C.
271 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 22A (15 U.S.C. 278h-
1) the following:
``SEC. 22B. CENTER FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STANDARDS AND
INNOVATION.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Agency.--The term `agency' has the meaning given the
term `Executive agency' in section 105 of title 5, United
States Code.
``(2) Artificial intelligence.--The term `artificial
intelligence' has the meaning given such term in section 5002
of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020
(15 U.S.C. 9401).
``(3) Artificial intelligence blue-teaming.--The term
`artificial intelligence blue-teaming' means an effort to
conduct operational vulnerability evaluations and provide
mitigation techniques to entities who have a need for an
independent technical review of the security posture of an
artificial intelligence system.
``(4) Artificial intelligence red-teaming.--The term
`artificial intelligence red-teaming' means structured
adversarial testing efforts of an artificial intelligence
system.
``(5) Federal laboratory.--The term `Federal laboratory'
has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703).
``(6) Foundation model.--The term `foundation model' means
an artificial intelligence model trained on broad data at scale
and is adaptable to a wide range of downstream tasks.
``(7) Synthetic content.--The term `synthetic content'
means information, such as images, videos, audio clips, and
text, that has been significantly modified or generated by
algorithms, including by an artificial intelligence system.
``(8) Testbed.--The term `testbed' means a facility or
mechanism, virtual or otherwise, equipped for conducting
rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of tools and
technologies, including artificial intelligence systems, to
help evaluate the functionality, trustworthiness, usability,
and performance of those tools or technologies.
``(9) Watermarking.--The term `watermarking' means the act
of embedding provenance and authenticity information that is
intended to be difficult to remove, into outputs generated by
artificial intelligence systems or in original content,
including outputs such as text, images, audio, videos, software
code, or any other digital content or data, for the purposes of
verifying and maintaining the authenticity, integrity, and
reliability of the output or the identity or characteristics of
its provenance, modifications, or conveyance.
``(b) Establishment of Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards
and Innovation.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Innovation Act of 2026, the Director shall establish a center
on artificial intelligence within the Institute.
``(2) Designation.--The center established pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall be known as the `Center for Artificial
Intelligence Standards and Innovation' (in this section the
`Center').
``(3) Mission.--The mission of the Center is to assist the
private sector and agencies in developing voluntary best
practices for the robust assessment of artificial intelligence
systems, which may be contributed to or inform the work on such
practices in standards development organizations.
``(c) Functions.--
``(1) In general.--The functions of the Center, which the
Center shall carry out in coordination with the laboratories of
the Institute, include the following:
``(A) Using publicly available or voluntarily
provided information, assessing artificial intelligence
systems and developing guidelines and best practices to
measure and improve the secure development, deployment,
and use of artificial intelligence technology.
``(B) Supporting artificial intelligence red-
teaming, sharing best practices, and coordinating on
building testbeds and test environments with allies and
international partners of the United States.
``(C) Developing and publishing physical and
cybersecurity tools, methodologies, best practices,
voluntary guidelines, and other supporting information
to assist persons who maintain systems used to create
or train artificial intelligence models with
discovering and mitigating vulnerabilities and attacks,
including manipulation through data poisoning,
including those that may be exploited by foreign
adversaries.
``(D) Establishing artificial intelligence blue-
teaming capabilities to support mitigation approaches
and partnering with industry to address the reliability
of artificial intelligence systems.
``(E) Developing tools, methodologies, best
practices, and voluntary guidelines for detecting
synthetic content, authenticating content and tracking
of the provenance of content, labeling original and
synthetic content, such as by watermarking, and
evaluating software and systems relating to detection
and labeling of synthetic content.
``(F) Coordinating or developing metrics and
methodologies for testing artificial intelligence
systems, including the following:
``(i) Cataloging existing artificial
intelligence metrics and evaluation
methodologies used in industry and academia.
``(ii) Testing the efficacy of existing
metrics and evaluations.
``(iii) Documenting tools that assess
reliability, accuracy, and robustness.
``(G) Coordinating with counterpart international
institutions, partners, and allies to support global
interoperability in the development of research and
testing of standards relating to artificial
intelligence.
``(H) Producing resources for Federal agencies to
conduct their own evaluations of artificial
intelligence systems to best fulfill their missions.
``(I) Convening meetings on a semiannual basis with
Federal agencies and the private sector--
``(i) to share information and best
practices on building artificial intelligence
evaluations; and
``(ii) to accelerate the development and
adoption of national standards for artificial
intelligence systems in sectors including,
biotechnology, agriculture, and health care.
``(J) Examining safeguards and best practices to
secure artificial intelligence systems from cyber
attacks.
``(K) Examining safeguards and best practices to
protect against unintended use of artificial
intelligence for the purpose of developing chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear, and energy-security
threats or hazards.
``(L) Providing, in consultation with the Secretary
of Homeland Security and the Director of the
Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency, a
toolkit for best practices in anticipating, responding
to, and recovering from cybersecurity incidents
involving artificial intelligence systems. Such toolkit
may include guidance on remediating and responding to
known artificial intelligence-specific vulnerabilities.
``(M) Developing, and curating, in consultation
with the Secretary of Labor, a list of high-priority
occupations for training for the advancement and
deployment of artificial intelligence.
``(N) Developing best practices on minimum data
quality standards for the use of biological, material
science, chemical, physical, and other scientific areas
in artificial intelligence model training.
``(O) Examining, in consultation with the heads of
other relevant Federal agencies, the vulnerabilities in
the supply chain of hardware, including semiconductors
and microelectronics, that are critical to enabling the
development and deployment of artificial intelligence.
``(P) Examining ways in which artificial
intelligence may be used by the Federal Government in
combating fraud and other unfair or deceptive
practices.
``(Q) Identify proven, scalable, and interoperable
techniques and metrics to promote the development of
artificial intelligence.
``(d) Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards and Innovation
Consortium.--
``(1) Establishment.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of the Future of Artificial
Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026, the Director shall
establish a consortium of stakeholders from academic or
research communities, Federal laboratories, private
industry, including companies of all sizes with
different roles in the use of artificial intelligence
systems, including developers, deployers, evaluators,
users, and civil society with expertise in matters
relating to artificial intelligence to support the
Center in carrying out the functions set forth under
subsection (c).
``(B) Designation.--The consortium established
pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be known as the
`Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards and
Innovation Consortium'.
``(2) Consultation.--The Director shall consult with the
consortium established under this subsection not less
frequently than quarterly.
``(3) Annual reports to congress.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of the Future of Artificial
Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026 and not less frequently
than once each year thereafter, the Director shall submit to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives a report summarizing the
contributions of the members of the consortium established
under this subsection in support the efforts of the Center.
``(e) Voluntary Artificial Intelligence Testing Standards.--In
carrying out the functions under subsection (c), the Director shall
support and contribute to the development of voluntary, consensus-based
technical standards for testing artificial intelligence system
components, including by addressing, as the Director considers
appropriate, the following:
``(1) Physical infrastructure for training or developing
artificial intelligence models and systems, including cloud
infrastructure.
``(2) Physical infrastructure for operating artificial
intelligence systems, including cloud infrastructure.
``(3) Data for training artificial intelligence models.
``(4) Data for evaluating the functionality and
trustworthiness of trained artificial intelligence models and
systems.
``(5) Trained or partially trained artificial intelligence
models and any resulting software systems or products.
``(6) Human-in-the-loop testing of artificial intelligence
models and systems.
``(f) Matters Relating to Disclosure and Access.--
``(1) FOIA exemption.--Any confidential content, as deemed
confidential by the contributing private sector person, shall
be exempt from public disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of
title 5, United States Code.
``(2) Limitation on access to content.--Access to a
contributing private sector person's voluntarily provided
confidential content, as deemed confidential by the
contributing private sector person shall be limited to the
private sector person and the Center.
``(3) Aggregated information.--The Director may make
aggregated, deidentified information available to contributing
companies, the public, and other agencies, as the Director
considers appropriate, in support of the purposes of this
section.
``(g) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to provide the Director any enforcement authority that was
not in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the Future
of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026.
``(h) Prohibition on Access to Resources for Entities Under Control
of Certain Foreign Governments.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Covered nation.--The term `covered nation'
has the meaning given that term in section 4872 of
title 10, United States Code.
``(B) Ownership, control, or influence of the
government of a covered nation.--The term `ownership,
control, or influence of the government of a covered
nation', with respect to an entity, means the
government of a covered nation--
``(i) has the power to direct or decide
matters affecting the entity's management or
operations in a manner that could--
``(I) result in unauthorized access
to classified information; or
``(II) adversely affect performance
of a contract or agreement requiring
access to classified information; and
``(ii) exercises that power--
``(I) directly or indirectly;
``(II) through ownership of the
entity's securities, by contractual
arrangements, or other similar means;
``(III) by the ability to control
or influence the election or
appointment of one or more members to
the entity's governing board (such as
the board of directors, board of
managers, or board of trustees) or its
equivalent; or
``(IV) prospectively (such as by
not currently exercising the power, but
could).
``(2) In general.--An entity under the ownership, control,
or influence of the government of a covered nation may not
access any of the resources of the Center.
``(3) Criteria for identification.--The Director, working
with the heads of the relevant Federal agencies, shall
establish criteria to determine if any entity that seeks to
utilize the resources of the Center is under the ownership,
control, or influence of the government of a covered nation.''.
SEC. 102. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND PROGRAM TO FACILITATE ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE TESTBEDS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
(3) Institute.--The term ``Institute'' means the National
Institute of Standards and Technology.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(5) Under secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology.
(b) Program Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary and the Secretary, in
coordination with the Director, shall jointly establish a testbed
program to encourage collaboration and support partnerships between the
National Laboratories, Federal laboratories, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, the National Artificial Intelligence Research
Resource pilot program established by the Director, or any successor
program, and public and private sector entities, including companies of
all sizes, to conduct tests, evaluations, and security or vulnerability
risk assessments, and to support research and development, of
artificial intelligence systems, including measurement methodologies
developed by the Institute, in order to develop standards and encourage
development of a third-party ecosystem.
(c) Activities.--In carrying out the program required by subsection
(b), the Under Secretary and the Secretary--
(1) may use the advanced computing resources, testbeds, and
expertise of the National Laboratories, Federal laboratories,
the Institute, the National Science Foundation, and private
sector entities to run tests and evaluations on the
capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence
systems;
(2) shall use existing solutions to the maximum extent
practicable;
(3) shall develop automated and reproducible tests and
evaluations for artificial intelligence systems to the extent
that is practicable;
(4) shall assess the computational resources necessary to
run tests and evaluations of artificial intelligence systems;
(5) shall research methods to effectively minimize the
computational resources needed to run tests, evaluations, and
security assessments of artificial intelligence systems;
(6) shall where practicable, develop tests and evaluations
for artificial intelligence systems that are designed for high-
, medium-, and low-computational intensity;
(7) shall prioritize assessments by identifying security
vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence systems, including
the establishment of and utilization of existing classified
testbeds, at the National Laboratories if necessary, including
with respect to--
(A) autonomous offensive cyber capabilities;
(B) cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the artificial
intelligence software ecosystem and beyond;
(C) chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear,
critical infrastructure, and energy-security threats or
hazards; and
(D) such other capabilities as the Under Secretary
or the Secretary determines necessary; and
(8) shall organize a hackathon to test artificial
intelligence systems security risks and vulnerabilities.
(d) Consideration Given.--In carrying out the activities required
by subsection (c), the Under Secretary and the Secretary shall take
under consideration the applicability of any tests, evaluations, and
risk assessments to artificial intelligence systems trained using
primarily biological sequence data that could be used to enhance an
artificial intelligence system's ability to contribute to the creation
of a pandemic or biological weapon, including those systems used for
gene synthesis.
(e) Metrics.--The Under Secretary and the Secretary shall jointly
develop metrics to assess--
(1) the effectiveness of the program in encouraging
collaboration and supporting partnerships as described in
subsection (b); and
(2) the impact of the program on public and private sector
integration and use of artificial intelligence systems.
(f) Use of Existing Program.--In carrying out the program required
by subsection (b), the Under Secretary, the Secretary, and the Director
may use a program that was in effect on the day before the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(g) Evaluation and Findings.--Not later than 3 years after the
start of the program required by subsection (b), the Under Secretary
and the Secretary shall jointly--
(1) evaluate the success of the program in encouraging
collaboration and supporting partnerships as described in
subsection (b), using the metrics developed pursuant to
subsection (e);
(2) evaluate the success of the program in encouraging
public and private sector integration and use of artificial
intelligence systems by using the metrics developed pursuant to
subsection (e); and
(3) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress the
evaluation supported pursuant to paragraph (1) and the findings
of the Under Secretary, the Secretary, and the Director with
respect to the testbed program.
(h) Consultation.--In carrying out subsection (b), the Under
Secretary and the Secretary shall consult, as the Under Secretary and
the Secretary consider appropriate, with the following:
(1) Industry, including private artificial intelligence
laboratories, companies of all sizes, and representatives from
the United States financial sector.
(2) Academia and institutions of higher education.
(3) Civil society.
(i) Establishment of Voluntary Foundation Models Test Program.--In
carrying out the program under subsection (b), the Under Secretary and
the Secretary shall, jointly carry out a test program to provide
vendors of foundation models, as well as vendors of artificial
intelligence virtual agents and robots that incorporate foundation
models, the opportunity to voluntarily test foundation models across a
range of modalities, such as models that ingest and output text,
images, audio, video, software code, and mixed modalities.
(j) Matters Relating to Disclosure and Access.--
(1) Limitation on access to content.--Access to a
contributing private sector person's voluntarily provided
confidential content, as deemed confidential by the
contributing private sector person, shall be limited to the
contributing private sector person and the Institute.
(2) Aggregated information.--The Under Secretary and the
Secretary may make aggregated, deidentified information
available to contributing companies, the public, and other
agencies, as the Under Secretary considers appropriate, in
support of the purposes of this section.
(3) FOIA exemption.--Any confidential content, as deemed
confidential by the contributing private sector person, shall
be exempt from public disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of
title 5, United States Code.
(k) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to require a person to disclose any information, including
information--
(1) relating to a trade secret or other protected
intellectual property right;
(2) that is confidential business information; or
(3) that is privileged.
(l) Sunset.--The programs required by subsections (b) and (i) and
the requirements of this section shall terminate on the date that is 7
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 103. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY AND DEPARTMENT
OF ENERGY TESTBED TO IDENTIFY, TEST, AND SYNTHESIZE NEW
MATERIALS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the
Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, and the
Secretary of Energy may use the program established under section
102(b) to advance materials science and energy storage and optimization
and to support advanced manufacturing for the benefit of the United
States economy through the use of artificial intelligence, autonomous
laboratories, and artificial intelligence integrated with emerging
technologies, such as quantum hybrid computing and robotics.
(b) Support for Accelerated Technologies.--The Secretary of
Commerce and the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that technologies
accelerated under subsection (a) are supported by advanced algorithms
and models, uncertainty quantification, and software and workforce
development tools to produce benchmark data, model comparison tools,
and best practices guides.
(c) Public-Private Partnerships.--In carrying out subsection (a),
the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Energy shall, in
consultation with industry, civil society, and academia, enter into
such public-private partnerships as the Secretaries jointly determine
appropriate.
(d) Resources.--In carrying out this section, the Secretaries may--
(1) use science and technology resources from the
Manufacturing USA Program, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension
Partnership, the National Laboratories, Federal laboratories,
and the private sector; and
(2) the program established under section 102(b).
SEC. 104. COORDINATION, REIMBURSEMENT, AND SAVINGS PROVISIONS.
(a) Coordination and Duplication.--The Secretary of Commerce shall
take such actions as may be necessary to ensure no duplication of
activities carried out under this subtitle with the activities of--
(1) research entities of the Department of Energy,
including--
(A) the National Laboratories; and
(B) the Advanced Scientific Computing Research
program; and
(2) relevant industries.
(b) National Laboratory Resources.--Any advanced computing
resources, testbeds, expertise, or other resources of the Department of
Energy or the National Laboratories that are provided to the National
Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
or any other applicable entities under this subtitle shall be
provided--
(1) on a reimbursable basis; and
(2) pursuant to a reimbursable agreement.
(c) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the requirements set forth in
subsection (b) if the Secretary determines the waiver is necessary or
appropriate to carry out the missions of the Department of Commerce.
(d) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this subtitle shall be
construed--
(1) to modify any requirement or authority provided under
section 5501 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative
Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9461); or
(2) to allow the Secretary of Commerce (including the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology or the
Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards
and Innovation) or the Director of the National Science
Foundation to use monetary resources of the Department of
Energy or any National Laboratory.
SEC. 105. PROGRESS REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards
and Technology shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce
and the Secretary of Energy, submit to Congress a report on the
implementation of sections 102 and 103.
(b) Contents.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection (a)
shall include the following:
(1) A description of the reimbursable agreements,
statements of work, and associated project schedules and
deliverables for the testbed program established pursuant to
section 102(b) and section 103(a).
(2) Details on the total amount of reimbursable agreements
entered into pursuant to section 104(b).
(3) Such additional information as the Under Secretary
determines appropriate.
Subtitle B--International Cooperation
SEC. 111. INTERNATIONAL COALITIONS ON INNOVATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND
ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS WITH RESPECT TO ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and
Technology (in this section referred to as the ``Under Secretary'') and
the Secretary of Energy (in this section referred to as the
``Secretary'') shall jointly lead information exchange and coordination
among Federal agencies and communication from Federal agencies to the
private sector of the United States and like-minded governments of
foreign countries to ensure effective Federal engagement in the
development and use of international technical standards for artificial
intelligence.
(b) Requirements.--To support private sector-led engagement and
ensure effective Federal engagement in the development and use of
international technical standards for artificial intelligence, the
Under Secretary shall seek to form alliances or coalitions with like-
minded governments of foreign countries--
(1) to support the private sector-led development and
adoption of standards or alignment with respect to artificial
intelligence;
(2) to encourage technical standards developed in the
United States to be adopted by international standards
organizations and to advocate for international approaches to
governance of artificial intelligence that promote innovation
and counter influence from foreign adversaries;
(3) to facilitate international collaboration on
innovation, science, and advancement in artificial intelligence
research and development, including data sharing, expertise,
and resources;
(4) to develop the government-to-government infrastructure
to support the activities described in paragraphs (1) through
(3), using existing bilateral and multilateral agreements to
the extent practicable;
(5) to work with like-minded governments on identifying
best practices to maintain cybersecurity of artificial
intelligence models; and
(6) to work in coordination with the Secretary of State,
the National Security Council, and the National Science
Foundation to develop, implement, and share information on
complementary technology protection measures, including in
basic research and higher education, to mitigate risks of
exploitation by foreign adversaries.
(c) Criteria for Participation.--In forming an alliance or
coalition of like-minded governments of foreign countries under
subsection (b), the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the
Secretary of State, and the Director, in consultation with the heads of
relevant agencies, shall jointly establish technology trust criteria--
(1) to ensure all partner countries have a high level of
scientific and technological advancement; and
(2) to support the principles for international standards
development as detailed in the Committee Decision on World
Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
(Annex 2 of Part 1 of G/TBT/1), on international standards,
such as transparency, openness, and consensus-based decision
making.
(d) Consultation on Innovation and Advancements in Artificial
Intelligence.--In forming an alliance or coalition under subsection
(b), the Director, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of
State shall consult with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of
the National Science Foundation on approaches to innovation and
advancements in artificial intelligence.
(e) Security and Protection of Intellectual Property.--The
Director, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the
Secretary of State shall jointly ensure that an alliance or coalition
formed under subsection (b) is only undertaken with countries that--
(1) have in place sufficient intellectual property
protections, safety standards, and risk management approaches
relevant to innovation and artificial intelligence; and
(2) develop and coordinate research security measures,
export controls, and intellectual property protections relevant
to innovation, development, and standard-setting relating to
artificial intelligence.
(f) Limitation on Eligibility of the People's Republic of China.--
(1) In general.--The People's Republic of China is not
eligible to participate in an alliance or coalition of like-
minded governments of foreign countries under subsection (b)
until the United States Trade Representative determines in a
report to Congress required by section 421 of the U.S.-China
Relations Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 6951) that the People's
Republic of China has come into compliance with the commitments
it made in connection with its accession to the World Trade
Organization.
(2) Report required.--Upon the submission of a report
described in paragraph (1), the officials specified in
paragraph (3) shall jointly submit to Congress a report that
includes the following:
(A) A detailed justification for why government-to-
government information exchange and coordination with
the Government of the People's Republic of China is in
the national security interests of the United States.
(B) An assessment of the risks and potential
effects of such coordination, including any potential
for the transfer under an alliance or coalition
described in paragraph (1) of technology or
intellectual property capable of harming the national
security interests of the United States.
(C) A detailed justification for how the officials
specified in paragraph (3) intend to address human
rights concerns in any scientific and technology
collaboration proposed to be conducted by such an
alliance or coalition.
(D) An assessment of the extent to which those
officials will be able to continuously monitor the
commitments made by the People's Republic of China in
participating in such an alliance or coalition.
(E) Such other information relating to such an
alliance or coalition as those officials consider
appropriate.
(3) Officials specified.--The officials specified in this
paragraph are the following:
(A) The Director.
(B) The Secretary of Commerce.
(C) The Secretary of Energy.
(D) The Secretary of State.
(g) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed--
(1) to prohibit a person (as defined in section 551 of
title 5, United States Code) from participating in an
international standards body; or
(2) to constrain separate engagement with emerging
economies on artificial intelligence.
Subtitle C--Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Innovation
SEC. 121. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES IDENTIFICATION OF
RISKS AND OBSTACLES RELATING TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AND FEDERAL AGENCIES.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to Congress a report on regulatory impediments to
innovation in artificial intelligence systems.
(b) Contents.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection (a)
shall include the following:
(1) Significant examples of Federal statutes and
regulations that directly affect the innovation of artificial
intelligence systems, including the ability of companies of all
sizes to compete in artificial intelligence, which should also
account for the effect of voluntary standards and best
practices developed with contributions from the Federal
Government.
(2) An evaluation of the progress in government adoption of
artificial intelligence and use of artificial intelligence to
improve the quality of government services.
(3) An evaluation of, and examples of, where artificial
intelligence assists Federal agencies deliver services to the
public, including towards combating fraud, and ways to increase
opportunities for increased use of such artificial intelligence
systems by the Federal Government.
(4) Examples of Federal laws and regulations relating to
infrastructure and energy that unduly burden artificial
intelligence systems.
(5) Based on the findings of the Comptroller General with
respect to paragraphs (1) through (5), such recommendations as
the Comptroller General may have for legislative or
administrative action to increase the rate of innovation in
artificial intelligence systems.
TITLE II--ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, CAPACITY
BUILDING ACTIVITIES
SEC. 201. PUBLIC DATA FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS.
(a) In General.--Title LI of the National Artificial Intelligence
Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9411 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following new section:
``SEC. 5103A. PUBLIC DATA FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS.
``(a) List of Priorities.--
``(1) In general.--To expedite the development of
artificial intelligence systems in the United States, the
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (in
this section referred to as the `Director') shall, acting
through the National Science and Technology Council and the
Interagency Committee and in consultation with the Advisory
Committee on Data for Evidence Building established under
section 315 of title 5, United States Code, develop a list of
priorities for Federal investment in creating or improving
curated, publicly available Federal Government data for
training and evaluating artificial intelligence systems and
identify an appropriate location to host curated datasets.
``(2) Requirements.--
``(A) In general.--The list developed pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall--
``(i) prioritize data that will advance
novel artificial intelligence systems in the
public interest;
``(ii) prioritize datasets that are the
result of scientific research that was funded
by the Federal Government; and
``(iii) prioritize datasets unlikely to
independently receive sufficient private sector
support to enable their creation, absent
Federal funding.
``(B) Datasets identified.--In carrying out
subparagraph (A)(ii), the Director shall identify 20
datasets to be prioritized.
``(3) Considerations.--In developing the list under
paragraph (1), the Director shall consider the following:
``(A) Applicability to the initial list of
societal, national, and geostrategic challenges set
forth by subsection (b) of section 10387 of the
Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation
Act (42 U.S.C. 19107), or any successor list.
``(B) Applicability to the initial list of key
technology focus areas set forth by subsection (c) of
such section, or any successor list.
``(C) Applicability to other major United States
economic sectors, such as agriculture, health care,
transportation, manufacturing, biotechnology,
communications, weather services, and positive utility
to small- and medium-sized United States businesses.
``(D) Opportunities to improve datasets in effect
before the date of the enactment of the Future of
Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026.
``(E) Inclusion of data representative of the
entire population of the United States.
``(F) Potential national security threats to
releasing datasets, consistent with the United States
Government approach to data flows.
``(G) Requirements of laws in effect.
``(H) Applicability to the priorities listed in the
National Artificial Intelligence Research and
Development Strategic Plan of the National Science and
Technology Council, dated October 2016, and subsequent
updates, and the priorities listed in Winning the Race,
America's AI Action Plan, dated July 2025.
``(I) Ability to use data already made available to
the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource
Pilot program or any successor program.
``(J) Coordination with other Federal open data
efforts, as applicable.
``(K) Requirements for researchers funded by the
Federal Government to disclose nonproprietary,
nonsensitive datasets that are used by artificial
intelligence models during the course of research and
development.
``(L) Opportunities for the National Science
Foundation to maintain integrated, interoperable, and
multimodal datasets readily providing access to
scientific and engineering demonstration projects.
``(4) Public input.--Before finalizing the list required by
paragraph (1), the Director shall implement public comment
procedures for receiving input and comment from private
industry, academia, civil society, and other relevant
stakeholders.
``(b) Interagency Committee.--In carrying out this section, the
Interagency Committee--
``(1) may establish or leverage existing initiatives,
including through public-private partnerships, for the creation
or improvement of curated datasets identified in the list
developed pursuant to subsection (a)(1), including methods for
addressing data scarcity;
``(2) may apply the priorities set forth in the list
developed pursuant to subsection (a)(1) to the enactment of
Federal public access and open government data policies;
``(3) shall ensure consistency with Federal provisions of
law relating to privacy, including the technology and privacy
standards applied to the National Secure Data Service under
section 10375(f) of the Research and Development, Competition,
and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19085(f)); and
``(4) shall ensure that no data sharing is permitted with
any country that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation
with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of Energy, and the Director of National Intelligence,
determines to be engaged in conduct that is detrimental to the
national security or foreign policy of the United States.
``(c) Availability of Datasets.--Datasets that are created or
improved pursuant to this section--
``(1) shall, in the case of a dataset created or improved
by a Federal agency, be made available to the comprehensive
data inventory developed and maintained by the Federal agency
pursuant to section 3511(a) of title 44, United States Code, in
accordance with all applicable regulations; and
``(2) may be made available to the National Artificial
Intelligence Research Resource pilot program established by the
Director of the National Science Foundation, and the applicable
programs established by the Department of Energy, in accordance
with Executive Order 14110 (88 Fed. Reg. 75191; relating to
safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of artificial
intelligence), or any successor program.
``(d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of the Future of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of
2026, the Director shall, acting through the National Science and
Technology Council and the Interagency Committee, submit to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives a report that includes--
``(1) best practices in developing publicly curated
artificial intelligence datasets;
``(2) lessons learned and challenges encountered in
developing the curated artificial intelligence datasets;
``(3) principles used for artificial intelligence-ready
data;
``(4) recommendations relating to artificial intelligence-
ready data standards and potential processes for development of
such standards;
``(5) recommendations for maintaining and expanding the
availability of high-quality data sets;
``(6) recommendations for methods to increase incentives
for researchers support by the Federal Government to release
high-quality publicly available datasets, that protects against
risks to disclosure of personally identifiable information and
national and economic security risks; and
``(7) recommendations for establishing secure compute
environments at the National Science Foundation to enable
secure artificial intelligence use cases for controlled access
to restricted Federal data.
``(e) Rules of Construction.--
``(1) In general.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to require the Federal Government or other
contributors to disclose any information--
``(A) relating to a trade secret or other protected
intellectual property right;
``(B) that is confidential business information; or
``(C) that is privileged.
``(2) Disclosure to public datasets.--Except as
specifically provided for in this section, nothing in this
section shall be construed to prohibit the head of a Federal
agency from withholding information from a public dataset.''.
(b) Clerical Amendments.--The table of contents at the beginning of
section 2 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and the table of contents at the
beginning of title LI of such Act are both amended by inserting after
the items relating to section 5103 the following new item:
``5103A. Public data for artificial intelligence systems.''.
SEC. 202. FEDERAL GRAND CHALLENGES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
(a) In General.--Title LI of the National Artificial Intelligence
Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9411 et seq.), as amended by section
201, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 5107. FEDERAL GRAND CHALLENGES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
``(a) Establishment of Program.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Innovation Act of 2026, the Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy (acting through the National Science and
Technology Council) and the Interagency Committee may establish
a program to award prizes, using the authorities and processes
established under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), to eligible
participants as determined by the co-chairs of the Interagency
Committee pursuant to subsection (e).
``(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program required by
paragraph (1) are as follows:
``(A) To expedite the development of artificial
intelligence systems in the United States.
``(B) To stimulate artificial intelligence
research, development, and commercialization that
solves or advances specific, well-defined, and
measurable challenges in 1 or more of the categories
established pursuant to subsection (b).
``(b) Federal Grand Challenges in Artificial Intelligence.--
``(1) List of priorities.--The Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy (acting through the National
Science and Technology Council) and the Interagency Committee
and in consultation with industry, civil society, and academia,
shall identify, and annually review and update as the Director
considers appropriate, a list of priorities for Federal grand
challenges in artificial intelligence pursuant to the purposes
set forth under subsection (a)(2).
``(2) Initial list.--
``(A) Contents.--The list established pursuant to
paragraph (1) may include the following priorities:
``(i) To overcome challenges with
engineering of and applied research on
microelectronics, including through integration
of artificial intelligence with emerging
technologies, such as neuromorphic and quantum
computing, or with respect to the physical
limits on transistors, advanced interconnects,
and memory elements.
``(ii) To promote transformational or long-
term advancements in computing and artificial
intelligence technologies through--
``(I) next-generation algorithm
design;
``(II) next-generation compute
capability;
``(III) generative and adaptive
artificial intelligence for design
applications;
``(IV) photonics-based
microprocessors and optical
communication networks, including
electrophotonics;
``(V) the chemistry and physics of
new materials;
``(VI) biotechnology, such as
modeling a single cell;
``(VII) energy use or energy
efficiency;
``(VIII) techniques to establish
cryptographically secure content
provenance information; or
``(IX) safety and controls for
artificial intelligence applications.
``(iii) To promote explainability and
mechanistic interpretability of artificial
intelligence systems.
``(iv) To advance fundamental understanding
of artificial intelligence, including through
breakthroughs in theoretical, computational,
and experimental methods that discover new and
transformative paradigms that explain the
advanced capabilities of artificial
intelligence in domains such as the following:
``(I) Interpretability.
``(II) Control.
``(III) Steerability.
``(IV) Robustness against foreign
adversaries.
``(v) To develop artificial intelligence
solutions, including through integration among
emerging technologies such as neuromorphic and
quantum computing to overcome barriers relating
to innovations in advanced manufacturing in the
United States, including areas such as--
``(I) materials, nanomaterials, and
composites;
``(II) rapid, complex design;
``(III) sustainability and
environmental impact of manufacturing
operations;
``(IV) predictive maintenance of
machinery;
``(V) improved part quality;
``(VI) process inspections;
``(VII) worker safety; and
``(VIII) robotics.
``(vi) To develop artificial intelligence
solutions in sectors of the economy, such as
expanding the use of artificial intelligence in
maritime vessels, including in navigation and
in the design of propulsion systems and fuels.
``(vii) To develop artificial intelligence
solutions to improve border security, including
solutions relevant to the detection of
fentanyl, illicit contraband, and other illegal
activities.
``(viii) To develop artificial intelligence
for science applications.
``(ix) To develop cybersecurity for
artificial intelligence-related intellectual
property, such as artificial intelligence
systems and artificial intelligence algorithms,
including robustness, resilience, and security
from foreign adversaries.
``(x) To develop artificial intelligence
solutions to modernize code and software
systems that are deployed in government
agencies and critical infrastructure and are at
risk of maintenance difficulties due to code
obsolescence or challenges finding expertise in
outdated code bases.
``(xi) To develop solutions to reduce the
energy consumption in developing, deploying,
and maintain data-efficient and high-
performance artificial intelligence models.
``(xii) To develop methods to prevent
misuse of artificial intelligence systems for
malicious purposes.
``(xiii) To find applications of artificial
intelligence in wireless communications
systems, including cellular networks and
cybersecurity efforts.
``(xiv) To advance the capabilities of
artificial intelligence, robotics, and
automation for physical laboratory
infrastructure and cloud laboratories.
``(3) Consultation on identification and selection of grand
challenges.--The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy, the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, the Director of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, such agency heads as the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy considers relevant,
and the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee
shall each identify and select artificial intelligence research
and development grand challenges in which eligible participants
will compete to solve or advance for prize awards under
subsection (a).
``(4) Public input on identification.--The Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy shall also seek public
input on the identification of artificial intelligence research
and development grand challenges under subsection (a).
``(5) Problem statements; success metrics.--For each
priority for a Federal grand challenge identified under
paragraph (1) and the grand challenges identified and selected
under paragraph (3), the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall--
``(A) establish a specific and well-defined grand
challenge problem statement and ensure that such
problem statement is published on a website linking out
to relevant prize competition listings on the website
Challenge.gov, or successor website, that is managed by
the General Services Administration; and
``(B) establish and publish on the website
Challenge.gov, or successor website, clear targets,
success metrics, and validation protocols for the prize
competitions designed to address each grand challenge,
in order to provide specific benchmarks that will be
used to evaluate submissions to the prize competition.
``(c) Federal Investment Initiatives Authorized.--Subject to the
availability of amounts appropriated for this purpose, the Secretary of
Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of the National
Science Foundation may, consistent with the missions or
responsibilities of each Federal agency, establish 1 or more prize
competitions under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), challenge-based acquisitions,
or other research and development investments that each agency head
deems appropriate consistent with the list of priorities established
pursuant to subsection (b)(1).
``(d) Requirements.--
``(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall develop requirements for--
``(A) the process for prize competitions under
subsections (a) and (c), including eligibility criteria
for participants, consistent with the requirements
under paragraph (2); and
``(B) testing, judging, and verification procedures
for submissions to receive a prize award under
subsection (c).
``(2) Eligibility requirement and judging.--
``(A) Eligibility.--In accordance with the
requirement described in section 24(g)(3) of the
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15
U.S.C. 3719(g)(3)), a recipient of a prize award under
subsection (c)--
``(i) that is a private entity shall be
incorporated in and maintain a primary place of
business in the United States; and
``(ii) who is an individual, whether
participating singly or in a group, shall be a
citizen or permanent resident of the United
States.
``(B) Judges.--In accordance with section 24(k) of
the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980
(15 U.S.C. 3719(k)), a judge of a prize competition
under subsection (c) may be an individual from the
private sector.
``(3) Agency leadership.--Each agency head carrying out an
investment initiative under subsection (c) shall ensure that--
``(A) for each prize competition or investment
initiative carried out by the agency head under such
subsection, there is--
``(i) a positive impact on the economic
competitiveness of the United States;
``(ii) a benefit to United States industry;
``(iii) to the extent possible, leveraging
of the resources and expertise of industry and
philanthropic partners in shaping the
investments; and
``(iv) in a case involving development and
manufacturing, use of advanced manufacturing in
the United States; and
``(B) all research conducted for purposes of the
investment initiative is conducted in the United
States.
``(e) Reports.--
``(1) Notification of winning submission.--Not later than
60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under
subsection (c), the agency head awarding the prize shall submit
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives, and such other committees of
Congress as the agency head considers relevant a report that
describes the winning submission to the prize competition and
its benefits to the United States.
``(2) Biennial report.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of the Future of Artificial
Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026, and biennially
thereafter, the heads of agencies described in
subsection (c) shall submit to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate,
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives, and such other committees of
Congress as the agency heads consider relevant a report
that includes--
``(i) a description of the activities
carried out by the agency heads under this
section;
``(ii) a description of the active
competitions and the results of completed
competitions under subsection (c); and
``(iii) efforts to provide information to
the public on active competitions under
subsection (c) to encourage participation.
``(B) Public accessibility.--The agency heads
described in subsection (c) shall make the biennial
report required under subparagraph (A) publicly
accessible, including by posting the biennial report on
a website in an easily accessible location, such as the
GovInfo website of the Government Publishing Office.
``(f) Accessibility.--In carrying out any competition under
subsection (c), the head of an agency shall post the active prize
competitions and available prize awards under subsection (b) to
Challenge.gov, or successor website, after the grand challenges are
selected and the prize competitions are designed pursuant to
subsections (c) and (e) to ensure the prize competitions are widely
accessible to eligible participants.
``(g) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on the date that is 5
years after the date of the enactment the Future of Artificial
Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026.''.
(b) Comptroller General of the United States Studies and Reports.--
(1) Initial study.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General
of the United States shall conduct a study of Federal
prize competitions, which shall include an assessment
of the efficacy and impact of prize competitions
generally.
(B) Elements.--The study conducted under
subparagraph (A) shall include, to the extent
practicable, the following:
(i) A survey of all existing, current and
ongoing Federal prize competitions carried out
under authorities enacted before the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(ii) An assessment of those existing,
current, and ongoing Federal prize competitions
that includes addressing--
(I) whether and what technology or
innovation would have been developed in
the absence of the prize competitions;
(II) whether the prize competitions
shortened the timeframe for the
development of the technology or
innovation;
(III) whether the prize competition
was cost effective;
(IV) what, if any, other benefits
were gained from conducting the prize
competitions;
(V) whether the use of a more
traditional policy tool such as a grant
or contract have resulted in the
development of a similar technology or
innovation;
(VI) whether prize competitions
might be designed differently in a way
that would result in a more effective
or revolutionary technology being
developed;
(VII) what are appropriate metrics
that could be used for determining the
success of a prize competition, and
whether those metrics differ when
evaluating near-term and long-term
impacts of prize competitions; and
(VIII) suggested best practices of
prize competitions.
(C) Congressional briefing.--Not later than 540
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General shall provide the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives a briefing on the findings of the
Comptroller General with respect to the study conducted
under subparagraph (A).
(D) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General
shall submit to the congressional committees specified
in subparagraph (C) a report on the findings and
recommendations of Comptroller General from the study
conducted under subparagraph (A).
(2) Interim study.--
(A) In general.--The Comptroller General of the
United States shall conduct a study of the Federal
prize challenges implemented under section 5108 of the
of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act
of 2020, as added by subsection (a), which shall
include an assessment of the efficacy and effect of
such prize competitions.
(B) Elements.--The study conducted under
subparagraph (A) shall include, to the extent
practicable, the following:
(i) A survey of all Federal prize
competitions implemented under section 5108 of
the of the National Artificial Intelligence
Initiative Act of 2020, as added by subsection
(a).
(ii) An assessment of the Federal prize
competitions implemented such section, which
shall include addressing the same
considerations as set forth under paragraph
(1)(B)(ii).
(iii) An assessment of the efficacy,
impact, and cost-effectiveness of prize
competitions implemented under section 5108 of
the of the National Artificial Intelligence
Initiative Act of 2020, as added by subsection
(a), compared to other Federal prize
competitions.
(C) Congressional briefing.--Not later than 1 year
after completing the study required by subparagraph
(A), the Comptroller General shall provide the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate
and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives a briefing on the findings of the
Comptroller General with respect to the study conducted
under subparagraph (A).
(D) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General
shall submit to the congressional committees specified
in subparagraph (C) a report on the findings and
recommendations of the Comptroller General with respect
to the study conducted under subparagraph (A).
(c) Clerical Amendments.--The table of contents at the beginning of
section 2 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and the table of contents at the
beginning of title LI of such Act, as amended by section 201, are both
amended by inserting after the items relating to section 5107 the
following new item:
``5107. Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence.''.
TITLE III--RESEARCH SECURITY AND OTHER MATTERS
SEC. 301. RESEARCH SECURITY.
The activities authorized under this Act shall be carried out in
accordance with the provision of subtitle D of title VI of the Research
and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19231 et
seq.; enacted as part of division B of Public Law 117-167) and section
223 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (42 U.S.C. 6605).
SEC. 302. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY TO HIRE CRITICAL TECHNICAL EXPERTS.
(a) In General.--Subsection (b) of section 6 of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 275) is amended,
in the second sentence, by striking ``15'' and inserting ``30''.
(b) Modification of Sunset.--Subsection (c) of such section is
amended by striking ``under section (b) shall expire on the date that
is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this section'' and
inserting ``under subsection (b) shall expire on December 30, 2035''.
SEC. 303. CERTIFICATIONS AND AUDITS OF TEMPORARY FELLOWS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given such
term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
(2) Committees of jurisdiction.--The term ``committees of
jurisdiction'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives.
(3) Critical and emerging technologies.--The term
``critical and emerging technologies'' means a subset of
artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging
technologies included in the list of such technologies
identified and maintained by the National Science and
Technology Council of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
(4) Inherently governmental function.--The term
``inherently governmental function'' has the meaning given such
term in section 5 of the Federal Activities Inventory Reform
Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-270; 31 U.S.C. 501 note) and
includes the meaning given such term in subpart 7.5 of part 7
of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or successor regulation.
(5) Temporary fellow.--The term ``temporary fellow'', with
respect to an agency, means a fellow, contractor, consultant,
or any other person performing work for the agency who is not a
Federal Government employee.
(b) Certification.--
(1) In general.--Prior to performing any work for an agency
under this Act relating to artificial intelligence and other
critical and emerging technologies, a temporary fellow and the
head of the agency shall sign a certification that the
temporary fellow will not perform any inherently governmental
functions.
(2) Submittal.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the head of an agency signs a certification under
paragraph (1), the head of the agency shall submit a copy of
the certification to the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget and the chairpersons and ranking members of the
committees of jurisdiction.
(c) Audit.--
(1) In general.--For each agency using a temporary fellow
to carry out this Act, the inspector general of the agency
shall perform an annual audit of the use of temporary fellows
by the agency, which includes--
(A) the number of temporary fellows used by the
agency;
(B) the entities paying any temporary fellow for
their work for the agency;
(C) the work temporary fellows are performing for
the agency;
(D) the authorities under which the agency hired
the temporary fellows; and
(E) whether the temporary fellows and the agency
are complying with the requirements of section (b).
(2) Submittal to congress.--Not later than 30 days after
the date on which the inspector general of an agency completes
an audit under paragraph (1), the head of the agency shall
submit to the chairpersons and ranking members of the
committees of jurisdiction and the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget a report containing the findings of
inspector general with respect to the audit.
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