A bill to promote United States leadership in technical standards by directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of State to take certain actions to encourage and enable United States participation in developing…

• 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.

• Competitive dynamics

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

This document has minimal coverage of AI risk domains, with only subdomain 6.4 (Competitive dynamics) receiving a coverage score above 1. The document primarily focuses on procedural mechanisms for US participation in AI standards development rather than addressing specific AI risks or harms. The competitive dynamics aspect is implicitly addressed through the focus on promoting US leadership in standards development.

Sector coverage

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

• Public Administration (excl. National Security)

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

• Professional & Technical Services
• Scientific Research & Development Services

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This bill does not govern AI use in specific economic sectors. Rather, it establishes procedural mechanisms for federal agencies and U.S. industry broadly to participate in AI standards development. The governance applies to federal government operations (Public Administration) and potentially affects organizations involved in standards development activities across multiple sectors.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding legislative bill introduced in the U.S. Senate that, if enacted, would create mandatory legal obligations for federal agencies (particularly NIST) with specific requirements, timelines, and appropriated funding.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress; Senator Mark Warner; Senator Marsha Blackburn; Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Summary: The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Warner and Senator Blackburn and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This is a legislative proposal from the U.S. Congress.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor, AI_Developer
• Entities: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Federal agencies; United States industry; Department of State; Office of Management and Budget; National Science and Technology Council; Office of Science and Technology Policy; nongovernmental organizations; organizations developing AI standards
• Summary: The bill primarily targets federal agencies, particularly NIST, which must take specific actions. It also targets U.S. industry participants in AI standards development and organizations that develop AI standards and specifications.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Director of NIST; Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• Summary: Congress serves as the primary enforcer through oversight mechanisms including required briefings and appropriations control. NIST Director has enforcement authority over the pilot program and reporting mechanisms.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Director of NIST
• Summary: Congress monitors implementation through required annual briefings. NIST monitors federal agency participation in standards activities through the reporting mechanism and monitors the pilot program's effectiveness.

AI Lifecycle Stages

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

• Plan and Design

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document does not directly govern specific AI lifecycle stages but rather focuses on the meta-level process of developing technical standards for AI systems. It addresses standards development activities that could apply across multiple lifecycle stages, with implicit relevance to Plan and Design (through prestandardization activities) and all stages where standards would be applied.

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 explicitly mentions 'artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies' throughout but does not define AI models, AI systems, or specify particular types of AI. It focuses on technical standards development for AI broadly without distinguishing between different AI categories or compute thresholds.