National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, Section 226 ("Review of artificial intelligence applications and establishment of performance metrics")

• 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: 2021-12-27

Risk subdomain coverage

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

• Cyberattacks, weapon development or use
• Competitive dynamics
• Governance failure
• Lack of capability or robustness

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

This document has minimal coverage of AI risk domains. It primarily focuses on internal DoD processes for AI integration and performance metrics rather than addressing specific AI risks or harms. There is implicit minimal coverage of governance structures (6.5) through establishment of oversight mechanisms, and potential minimal coverage of competitive dynamics (6.4) through emphasis on AI modernization and integration.

Sector coverage

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

• National Security

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

• Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
• Professional & Technical Services
• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Management, Administrative & Support Services
• Health Care & Social Assistance
• Accommodation, Food & Other Services

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This document primarily governs AI use within the National Security sector (Department of Defense operations). It also has minimal coverage of Health Care (through business process applications) and Professional and Technical Services (through skill development requirements).

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding legislative act passed by the United States Congress with mandatory obligations on the Secretary of Defense, enforceable through congressional oversight and reporting requirements.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is Section 226 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, which is federal legislation enacted by the United States Congress.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Department of Defense; Secretary of Defense; Secretaries of military departments; Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Summary: The document explicitly targets the Department of Defense and its various components, requiring them to review AI applications, establish performance metrics, and conduct assessments across multiple domains.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress; congressional defense committees
• Summary: Congress enforces compliance through mandatory reporting requirements to congressional defense committees, which provide oversight of the Secretary of Defense's implementation of the statutory requirements.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: congressional defense committees; United States Congress
• Summary: Congressional defense committees monitor implementation through mandatory reports on findings, actions taken, and performance objectives established by the Secretary of Defense.

AI Lifecycle Stages

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

• Plan and Design
• Collect and Process Data
• Build and Use Model
• Verify and Validate
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document covers multiple AI lifecycle stages with primary focus on Plan and Design (establishing objectives and metrics), Build and Use Model (AI innovation and R&D), Verify and Validate (test and evaluation), Deploy (integration into platforms and processes), and Operate and Monitor (ongoing performance metrics and assessment). It addresses the full lifecycle of AI integration within DoD operations.

Technical Scope

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

• AI Systems

Technical Scope Summary

The document explicitly mentions 'artificial intelligence' and 'digital technology' throughout but does not define specific AI system types, models, or technical thresholds. It focuses on AI applications broadly within DoD contexts without distinguishing between frontier AI, general purpose AI, or other specific AI categories.