The task force would update the federal cybersecurity agency’s AI security guidance and coordinate warnings about the cyber risks of using AI software.
Reps. Troy Carter (D-La.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) reintroduced a bill that would require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the federal government’s cybersecurity agency, to create a task force to coordinate its AI safety and security work.
The task force would oversee the agency’s AI security warnings and guidance, including warnings about the cyber risks of using AI software. Its work would cover AI from design and development through adoption and deployment. It would also coordinate CISA’s input into AI working groups. These include groups led by the Department of Homeland Security, groups made up of several federal agencies, and groups outside the government.
Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the task force would help CISA “better understand the risks that come with AI” and protect “the systems and infrastructure Americans rely on every day.”
The CISA Securing AI Task Force Act was announced on Oct. 8 and sent to the House Homeland Security Committee.
The task force would update CISA’s AI guidance and warnings
Within a year of the bill becoming law, CISA’s director would have to form the task force from staff already working across the agency’s offices.
The task force would review CISA’s existing security guidance and programs and recommend changes so they address the safety and security problems that come with AI.
It would also coordinate CISA’s efforts to warn about the cyber risks of using AI-based software and to encourage the use of security-focused AI software.
The task force would also look at how AI can help defend against attacks
The task force would also look for ways AI can help defend the systems and infrastructure Americans rely on against cyberattacks. Within CISA, it would identify where the agency needs more staff with AI skills and recommend new projects to make AI safer to build and use.
The bill would set no rules for companies
The bill would put no new requirements on businesses and would give CISA no new powers. It does not set aside money for the task force.
Every six months, the task force would brief the House Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on its work. Apart from the briefings, the bill sets no deadlines and requires no reports or other products from the task force. The law would expire five years after it took effect.
To become law, the bill would need approval from the House Homeland Security Committee, votes in both the House and the Senate, and the president’s signature.
