[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 195 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4783-H4785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GENERATIVE AI TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT ACT
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1736) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct
annual assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by
terrorist organizations utilizing generative artificial intelligence
applications, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1736
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Generative AI Terrorism Risk
Assessment Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE USE OF GENERATIVE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLICATIONS FOR
TERRORIST ACTIVITY.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the heightened terrorism threat landscape and the
increasing utilization of generative artificial intelligence
by foreign terrorist organizations represent a national
security threat, and the challenges posed by such threat are
not well understood; and
(2) the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation
with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence,
must take steps to recognize, assess, and address such
threat, thereby reducing risks to the people of the United
States.
SEC. 3. ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS ON TERRORISM THREATS TO THE UNITED
STATES POSED BY THE USE OF GENERATIVE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR TERRORISM.
(a) Assessments.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for five
years, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation
with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees an assessment of
terrorism threats to the United States posed by the use of
generative artificial intelligence for terrorism.
(2) Contents.--Each terrorism threat assessment under
paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) An analysis of incidents during the immediately
preceding calendar year in which a foreign terrorist
organization or individual has used or attempted to use
generative artificial intelligence to carry out the
following:
(i) Spread violent extremist messaging and facilitate the
ability to radicalize and recruit individuals to violence.
(ii) Enhance their ability to develop or deploy chemical,
biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons.
(B) Recommendations on appropriate measures to counter
terrorism threats to the United States posed by such
terrorist organization or individual.
(3) Coordination.--Each terrorism threat assessment under
paragraph (1)--
(A) shall be coordinated by the Secretary of Homeland
Security to ensure compliance with applicable law and
protections relating to individuals' privacy, civil rights,
and civil liberties, and
(B) may be informed by existing products of the Department
of Homeland Security, as appropriate.
(4) Form.--Each terrorism threat assessment under paragraph
(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include
a classified annex. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
post on a publicly available website of the Department of
Homeland Security the unclassified portion of each such
assessment. Each such unclassified portion shall not contain
information that is designated as For Official Use Only, or
otherwise would not be publicly available pursuant to section
552 of title 5, United States
[[Page H4784]]
Code (popularly referred to as the ``Freedom of Information
Act'' (FOIA)), or other applicable law.
(5) Briefing.--Not later than 30 days after the submission
of each terrorism threat assessment under paragraph (1), the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall brief the appropriate
congressional committees regarding each such assessment. The
head of any other relevant Federal department or agency shall
join the Secretary for any such briefing if any such
committee, in consultation with the Secretary, determines
such is appropriate.
(b) Information Sharing.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
review information relating to terrorism threats to the
United States posed by the use of generative artificial
intelligence for terrorism that is gathered by State and
major urban area fusion centers and the National Network of
Fusion Centers, and incorporate such information, as
appropriate, into the Department of Homeland Security's own
information relating to such. The Secretary shall ensure the
dissemination to State and major urban area fusion centers
and the National Network of Fusion Centers of such
information.
(2) Coordination.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
entities specified in paragraph (3) shall share with the
Secretary of Homeland Security information regarding
terrorism threats to the United States posed by the use of
generative artificial intelligence for terrorism.
(3) Entitles specified.--The entities specified in this
paragraph are the following:
(A) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
(B) The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(C) Members of the intelligence community.
(D) Any other relevant Federal department or agency the
Secretary of Homeland Security determines necessary.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee
on Homeland Security, the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, the Select Committee on
Intelligence, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate.
(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) Generative artificial intelligence.--The term
``generative artificial intelligence'' means the class of
artificial intelligence models that emulate the structure and
characteristics of input data in order to generate derived
synthetic content, including images, videos, audio, text, and
other digital content.
(4) Foreign terrorist organization.--The term ``terrorist
organization'' means any entity designated as a foreign
terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).
(5) Fusion center.--The term ``fusion center'' has the
meaning given such term in subsection (k) of section 210A of
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h).
(6) Intelligence community.--The term ``intelligence
community'' has the meaning given such term in section 3(4)
of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
(7) National network of fusion centers.--The term
``National Network of Fusion Centers'' means a decentralized
arrangement of fusion centers intended to enhance the ability
of individual State and local fusion centers to leverage the
capabilities and expertise of all such fusion centers for the
purpose of enhancing analysis and homeland security
information sharing nationally.
(8) Terrorism.--The term ``terrorism'' has the meaning
given such term in section 2 of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (6 U.S.C. 101).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Guest) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi.
General Leave
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to include extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1736, the Generative AI
Terrorism Risk Assessment Act. The bill before us today requires DHS to
conduct annual assessments on the use of generative AI by foreign
terrorist organizations and expands information sharing to address AI-
related threats.
We know that terrorist groups, including ISIS and al-Qaida, have
already used generative AI in sophisticated ways, producing propaganda
to spur online recruitment and radicalization efforts. This technology
poses new and heightened risks to our homeland security.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1736, the Generative AI
Terrorism Risk Assessment Act. This bill directs the Secretary of
Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of National
Intelligence, to conduct assessments on terrorism threats to the United
States posed by terrorist organizations' use of generative artificial
intelligence applications.
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen AI permeate our lives in both positive
and negative ways. AI streamlines workflows, has made breakthroughs in
the medical field, and can dramatically increase the speed at which
Americans are able to do work. We have also seen the dark side of AI
through biased and discriminatory algorithms and deepfake videos.
This bill recognizes the danger that AI can pose when employed by
terrorists who seek to harm our homeland. It requires the Department of
Homeland Security to analyze incidents where foreign terrorist
organizations have used or attempted to use generative AI to spread
violent extremist messaging and to recruit, radicalize, or plot
attacks. This is a commonsense bill that will help the Department get
ahead of terrorism threats.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).
Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1736, the Generative AI
Terrorism Risk Assessment Act.
The mass adoption of artificial intelligence is the latest in a
series of technological revolutions that have permeated and influenced
every aspect of our lives. Today, we face a new reality: The same
technologies driving innovation are now being weaponized against us by
hostile actors.
Earlier this year, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and
Intelligence held a hearing to consider the extent to which terrorist
groups are using generative AI for recruitment and radicalization. We
know now, without a doubt, that terrorist organizations have already
integrated generative AI into their operations.
We found that groups, including ISIS and al-Qaida, are actively
training in the use of artificial intelligence and using it to produce
highly convincing propaganda, making it much easier for terrorist
groups to recruit, radicalize, and carry out attacks on the U.S.
homeland.
My bill requires DHS to conduct annual assessments on threats to the
U.S. by terrorist organizations using generative AI. It also requires
greater information sharing and coordination across the intelligence
community to ensure that we have the clearest possible picture of AI-
related terror threats.
This is an issue that requires us to be proactive and outmaneuver any
group or individual seeking to do us harm with this emerging
technology. The Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act ensures
that our homeland security and capabilities remain ahead of adversary
tactics.
Our response cannot be reactive. We must anticipate the future of
terrorist methods and be prepared before these threats materialize.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and
hope to see the Senate take similar action in the very near future.
Passing this bill will equip our national security agencies with the
tools they need to adapt and defend against the threats of tomorrow
today.
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend
from Texas (Mr. Pfluger) for introducing this bill. It does make a ton
of common sense and is something that we all agree that we must be
ahead of.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1736, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1736, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by
[[Page H4785]]
the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1736, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to require
the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct annual assessments on
threats to the United States posed by the use of generative artificial
intelligence for terrorism, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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