National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, Section 3117 ("Appropriate scoping of artificial intelligence research within the National Nuclear Security Administration")

• Authority: United States Congress
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: NDAA provisions;U.S. federal laws;FY2026 NDAA
• Most recent activity: Enacted
• Most recent activity date: 2025-12-18

Risk subdomain coverage

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

• Competitive dynamics
• Governance failure

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

This document has minimal risk domain coverage, primarily addressing governance and competitive dynamics issues. It does not substantively address AI safety, security, discrimination, privacy, misinformation, malicious use, human-computer interaction, or socioeconomic risks. The focus is on organizational and resource allocation constraints rather than AI risk mitigation.

Sector coverage

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

• Scientific Research & Development Services
• National Security

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

• Public Administration (excl. National Security)

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This document primarily governs Public Administration (National Security sector) by restricting how the National Nuclear Security Administration can use AI research funds. It specifically applies to government agencies involved in nuclear security missions and national defense.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding statutory provision enacted by the United States Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, with mandatory language restricting the use of appropriated funds and creating legally enforceable obligations.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is Section 3117 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which is enacted by the United States Congress as the legislative authority.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor, AI_Developer
• Entities: National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); Department of Energy; national security laboratories; nuclear weapons production facility sites
• Summary: The document specifically targets the National Nuclear Security Administration and its use of funds for AI research and development, while also referencing other Department of Energy components and federal agencies that may conduct AI research programs.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Department of Energy; Congressional appropriations committees; Department of Energy Inspector General
• Summary: Enforcement is implicit through appropriations control mechanisms. The Department of Energy and Congressional oversight bodies would enforce compliance with the funding restrictions, though no specific enforcement body is explicitly named in the text.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Congressional appropriations committees; Department of Energy Inspector General; Government Accountability Office
• Summary: While no explicit monitoring body is named, Congressional appropriations oversight and standard federal audit mechanisms would monitor compliance with the funding restrictions. This is implicit in the appropriations process.

AI Lifecycle Stages

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

• Plan and Design
• Build and Use Model
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document addresses AI research and development broadly, covering planning, building, and deployment stages. It focuses on organizational and resource allocation constraints rather than specific technical lifecycle stages. The scope includes AI technologies, computing hardware, and supporting infrastructure for national security applications.

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 uses the broad term 'artificial intelligence technologies' without defining specific types of AI. It does not distinguish between AI models, systems, or specific categories like frontier AI, general purpose AI, or generative AI. The focus is on organizational scope rather than technical AI classifications.