Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, Title III ("Shipping and Navigation"), Sec. 342 ("Establishment of National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems")

• Authority: United States Congress
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: U.S. federal laws
• Most recent activity: Defunct
• Most recent activity date: 2025-01-03

Risk subdomain coverage

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the risk subdomain are described.

• Governance failure

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

The document has minimal coverage of AI risk domains. It establishes an advisory committee structure for autonomous maritime systems governance but does not substantively address specific AI risks, harms, or mitigation measures. The focus is on creating a governance mechanism rather than addressing the risks themselves.

Sector coverage

Good coverage — Comprehensive governance measures or mitigations with clear procedures relating to the sector are explicitly described.

• Trade, Transportation & Utilities

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the sector are described.

• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Public Administration (excl. National Security)
• National Security

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

The document primarily governs the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector, specifically maritime transportation and port operations involving autonomous systems. It also has minimal coverage of Scientific Research and Development Services through inclusion of academic institutions and research entities on the advisory committee.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding federal statute enacted by the United States Congress that establishes mandatory requirements for the Secretary to create an advisory committee within a specified timeframe, with clear legal authority under Title 46 of the United States Code.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is a section of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, which is federal legislation enacted by the United States Congress, establishing it as the proposer of this governance instrument.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Developer, AI_Deployer
• Entities: Entities engaged in the production or research of unmanned vehicles, including drones, autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles; Vessel operators; Port districts, authorities, or terminal operators; Commercial space transportation operators
• Summary: The document targets entities involved in autonomous maritime systems, including those who develop, research, and operate such systems. The committee membership requirements explicitly identify stakeholder groups that would be subject to future regulations advised upon by this committee.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating; United States Coast Guard
• Summary: The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard operates is designated as the authority responsible for establishing and receiving advice from the committee on regulation of autonomous maritime systems, indicating enforcement authority over future regulations.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems
• Summary: The National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems is established to advise on regulation and use of autonomous systems, which inherently involves monitoring and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of such systems within U.S. territorial waters.

AI Lifecycle Stages

Lifecycle stages covered by the documents, as defined in the OECD Framework for the Classification of AI Systems

No lifecycle stages identified.

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document does not explicitly address specific AI lifecycle stages. It establishes an advisory committee structure for governance of autonomous maritime systems but does not detail requirements for planning, data collection, model building, validation, deployment, or monitoring of the AI systems themselves. The focus is on creating a governance mechanism rather than regulating specific lifecycle activities.

Technical Scope

Terms relating to technical scope that are mentioned or implicitly referenced in the document

• AI Systems
• Task-specific AI

Technical Scope Summary

The document refers to 'Autonomous Systems' in the maritime context but does not explicitly define or distinguish between AI models, AI systems, or specific types of AI. It focuses on autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles without detailed technical specifications or compute thresholds.