Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act

• 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.

• AI system security vulnerabilities
• 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 explicit focus on risks. Primary coverage relates to cybersecurity vulnerabilities (2.2) in connected and autonomous vehicles, and minimal mentions of automation safety concerns (7.3). The document is primarily focused on research and development programs rather than risk mitigation, with most AI-related content addressing capabilities rather than harms.

Sector coverage

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

• Agriculture, Mining, Construction & Manufacturing
• Trade, Transportation & Utilities
• Information
• 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

This Act primarily governs AI use in the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector through vehicle technology research and development. It also has significant coverage of the Information sector (connected vehicle systems and computing), Manufacturing (vehicle and component production), and Scientific Research and Development Services (research programs and academic centers). Public Administration is governed through federal agency coordination requirements.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding federal statute enacted by the U.S. Congress with mandatory language establishing programs, requiring reports, and authorizing appropriations with legal force.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Ms. Stevens; Mrs. Dingell; United States Congress; House of Representatives; Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
• Summary: The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Ms. Stevens and Mrs. Dingell, making the U.S. Congress the proposer of this governance instrument.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Developer, AI_Infrastructure_Provider, AI_Deployer
• Entities: Department of Energy; truck and trailer manufacturers; engine and component manufacturers; hydrogen fuel cell and component manufacturers; public and private fleet owners; university researchers; institutions of higher education; State, local, and Tribal governments; public-private partnerships
• Summary: The Act targets entities involved in vehicle technology research, development, and deployment, including manufacturers, researchers, academic institutions, and government entities at various levels. These entities span AI developers (for autonomous and connected vehicle systems), infrastructure providers (charging/refueling infrastructure), and deployers (fleet owners).

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Secretary of Energy; Department of Energy; Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Office of Science; Office of Electricity; Office of Fossil Energy; Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response; Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy; Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
• Summary: The Secretary of Energy and the Department of Energy are designated as the primary enforcement authorities responsible for implementing, overseeing, and coordinating the programs established by this Act.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Advanced Vehicle Technologies Advisory Committee; Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives; Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; Secretary of Energy; National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Summary: The Act establishes an Advisory Committee to assess and monitor program implementation, with reporting requirements to Congressional committees. The Secretary also has periodic review responsibilities, and NIST is involved in developing testing standards.

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, Build and Use Model, Deploy, and Operate and Monitor stages. It addresses research and development of AI-driven vehicle technologies including machine learning for manufacturing, autonomous systems, and connected vehicle technologies throughout their lifecycle from planning through operational monitoring.

Technical Scope

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

• AI Models
• AI Systems
• Predictive AI
• Task-specific AI

Technical Scope Summary

The document explicitly addresses AI systems and AI models in the context of vehicle technologies, particularly focusing on machine learning applications, autonomous systems, and connected vehicle technologies. It does not use terminology like 'frontier AI', 'general purpose AI', or 'foundation models', but focuses on task-specific applications in transportation. No compute thresholds are mentioned.