James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, Section 11504 ("At-sea recovery operations pilot program")

• 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: 2022-12-23

Risk subdomain coverage

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

• AI system security vulnerabilities
• Increased inequality and decline in employment
• Environmental harm
• Lack of capability or robustness

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

The document has minimal coverage of AI risk domains, with limited focus on AI system security (2.2) and system safety/robustness (7.3). The pilot program addresses autonomous vessel operations with emphasis on navigation safety, security, and environmental protection, but does not extensively detail AI-specific risks beyond operational safety concerns.

Sector coverage

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

• Trade, Transportation & Utilities
• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Public Administration (excl. National Security)

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

• Educational Services
• National Security

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

The document primarily governs the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector (maritime transportation) and the Scientific Research and Development Services sector (space launch and recovery operations). It also has implications for Public Administration through Coast Guard regulatory oversight.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding federal statute enacted by the United States Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, with mandatory language requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a pilot program and submit reports to Congressional committees.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: This section is part of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which is federal legislation enacted by the United States Congress.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Deployer, AI_Infrastructure_Provider
• Summary: The pilot program applies to operators of remotely controlled or autonomous vessels used for spaceflight component recovery, requiring supervision by credentialed merchant mariners and compliance with modified maritime regulations.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The Secretary of Homeland Security is granted authority to conduct the pilot program, modify or waive regulations, and ensure compliance with navigation safety and vessel security requirements.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The Coast Guard monitors vessel operations, the Secretary provides quarterly briefings to Congressional committees, and the GAO is required to submit an independent assessment report on autonomous vessel technologies.

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
• Verify and Validate
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document primarily covers the Deploy and Operate and Monitor lifecycle stages, focusing on pilot testing of autonomous vessel operations with ongoing monitoring requirements. It also addresses Verify and Validate through assessment and evaluation requirements, and touches on Plan and Design through regulatory framework development considerations.

Technical Scope

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

• Task-specific AI

Technical Scope Summary

The document explicitly addresses autonomous and remotely controlled systems for vessel operations, focusing on autonomous vessels and remote technologies. It does not use AI-specific terminology like 'AI models', 'AI systems', 'frontier AI', 'general purpose AI', or 'foundation models', but instead focuses on autonomous and remote operational technologies in maritime contexts.