William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Division A, Title II, Section 247 ("Pilot program on the use of electronic portfolios to evaluate certain applicants for technical positions")

• Authority: United States Congress
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: NDAA provisions;U.S. federal laws
• Most recent activity: Enacted
• Most recent activity date: 2021-01-01

Risk subdomain coverage

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

This document has minimal to no coverage of AI risk domains. It is a procedural HR policy focused on hiring processes for technical positions within the Department of Defense, not on AI system risks, safety, or governance of AI deployment.

Sector coverage

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

• National Security

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This document exclusively governs hiring practices within the National Security sector, specifically within the Department of Defense and its organizations including the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and Defense Digital Service. No other economic sectors are governed.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding statutory provision enacted by the U.S. Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, with mandatory language requiring the Secretary of Defense to implement a pilot program.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is Section 247 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which was enacted by the United States Congress as the legislative authority.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Department of Defense; Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Defense Digital Service; military departments
• Summary: The pilot program applies to organizations within the Department of Defense, specifically including the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, Defense Digital Service, and at least one activity of each military department, for hiring technical positions requiring expertise in AI, data science, or software development.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Secretary of Defense; congressional defense committees
• Summary: The Secretary of Defense is mandated to carry out the pilot program and submit reports to congressional defense committees, which provide oversight. The Secretary has direct authority to implement and manage the program.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: congressional defense committees; Secretary of Defense
• Summary: Congressional defense committees monitor implementation through mandatory reporting requirements. The Secretary of Defense is required to assess and report on program results, including satisfaction levels, timeliness, and recommendations for expansion.

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

This document does not govern the AI lifecycle stages of AI system development or deployment. Instead, it establishes a human resources pilot program for evaluating job applicants for technical positions (including AI-related roles) within the Department of Defense using electronic portfolios. The document is about hiring processes, not AI system governance.

Technical Scope

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

No technical scope terms identified.

Technical Scope Summary

The document mentions artificial intelligence only in the context of defining technical positions that require AI expertise for hiring purposes. It does not govern AI models, systems, or any specific AI technologies. The focus is entirely on human resources and hiring processes.