[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2863. Mr. YOUNG (for himself and Mr. Heinrich) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Strike section 236 and insert the following:

     SEC. 236. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY SANDBOX 
                   PILOT PROGRAM TO DEVELOP NEAR-TERM USE CASES 
                   AND DEMONSTRATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
                   TOWARD BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL 
                   SECURITY.

       (a) Pilot Program Required.--Not later than 1 year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Defense shall commence carrying out a pilot program on 
     developing near-term use cases and demonstrations of 
     artificial intelligence toward biotechnology applications for 
     national security.
       (b) Duration.--The pilot program required by subsection (a) 
     shall be carried out during the five-year period beginning on 
     the date of the commencement of the pilot program.
       (c) Public-private Partnerships.--The Secretary shall carry 
     out the pilot program required by subsection (a) by entering 
     into one or more public-private partnerships.
       (d) Biological Data.--In carrying out the pilot program 
     required in subsection (a), the Secretary shall use 
     artificial intelligence models trained on or applied to 
     biological data or problems.
       (e) Laboratory Partnerships.--
       (1) In general.--In order to facilitate any partnership 
     entered into under subsection (c), the Secretary shall--
       (A) develop a set of laboratory partners to perform 
     biological experimentation that would help to validate their 
     artificial intelligence models; and
       (B) develop a streamlined partnership model to make it 
     easier for companies and laboratories to work together to 
     better evaluate applications for products for national 
     security purposes.
       (2) Consultation.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary shall ensure sufficient consultation with the 
     following:
       (A) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and 
     Engineering.
       (B) The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
     Sustainment.
       (C) The head of the Air Force Research Laboratory.
       (D) The head of the Naval Research Laboratory.
       (E) The head of the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.
       (F) The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer.
       (G) The Director of the Test Resource Management Center.
       (H) The head of the Air Force Artificial Intelligence 
     Accelerator.
       (I) The Chief Research and Development Officer for the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (J) The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects 
     Agency.
       (K) Such others as the Secretary considers appropriate.
       (f) Infrastructure.--In carrying out the pilot program 
     required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that 
     such computing and data storage infrastructure as may be 
     necessary for testing and evaluating cases and demonstrations 
     of artificial intelligence towards biotechnology applications 
     is fully operational before the date that is one year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (g) Eligible Projects.--Projects eligible for testing in 
     [the Sandbox --Note: What sandbox? This is the first mention 
     of a sandbox.] shall be associated with the Department of 
     Defense and involve the use of artificial intelligence models 
     trained on or applied to biological data or problems. Such 
     projects may include--
       (1) predicting and producing medical countermeasures;
       (2) analysis and development of warfighter diagnostics and 
     treatments;
       (3) predicting or producing new or enhanced biological 
     materials;
       (4) analyzing and predicting how biology could contribute 
     to the supply chain, especially for national defense; or
       (5) any other project as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate.
       (h) Annual Report.--.
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act and not less frequently than once 
     each year thereafter for the duration of the pilot program 
     required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees an annual report on the 
     pilot program.
       (2) Contents.--Each report submitted pursuant to paragraph 
     (1) shall include, for the period covered by the report, the 
     following:
       (A) An assessment of existing Department of Defense 
     biological data resources, including those relating to health 
     data, genetic data, and biological surveillance data, and how 
     to leverage such resources in [the sandbox].
       (B) [The updated cybersecurity requirements for sandbox 
     users. --Note: What requirements are you referring to? This 
     is the first mention of anything about cybersecurity 
     requirements.]
       (C) The development of any mechanisms necessary for 
     collaboration among different parties associated with 
     projects in [the Sandbox], including intellectual property 
     agreements, funding agreements, and material transfer 
     agreements.
       (D) An assessment of the role that artificial intelligence 
     is playing in developing biotechnology, such as how 
     commercial industry may be using artificial intelligence to 
     develop biotechnologies.
       (E) A description of near-term use cases developed under 
     the pilot program for artificial intelligence-enabled 
     biotechnology applications for national security.
       (F) A description of planned, ongoing, and complete 
     demonstrations or other pilot programs funded under the pilot 
     program required by subsection (a) or otherwise by the 
     Department of Defense.
       (G) An assessment of the viability for transition of 
     technology developed under the pilot program, including 
     assessment of--
       (i) the resources needed for further development and 
     scaling of such technology; and
       (ii) the potential benefits of such technology.
       (3) Form.--Each report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) 
     shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (i) Transition Plan.--One year before the end of the pilot 
     program, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a plan that outlines what steps the 
     Department could take to turn the pilot program into an 
     operational program if authorized by Congress to do so. This 
     plan shall include the following:
       (1) A transition timeline.
       (2) Associated annual cost of running the program.
       (3) Additional infrastructure that might be needed.
       (4) An outlined landscape of jurisdiction, partnerships, 
     and collaboration within the Department and with external 
     stakeholders.
       (5) Examples of projects from the pilot phase of the 
     program and their outcomes.
       (6) The potential impact to Department capabilities of 
     transitioning the program.
       (7) Any other details deemed necessary to include by the 
     Secretary.
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