Comment by Chris Coons

The Department of Defense can use frontier AI models for rapid innovation to ensure that the United States maintains its military supremacy and edge in artificial intelligence without running roughshod over safety concerns. Threatening our cutting-edge companies with legal and economic punishment when they balk at demands to perform illegal acts is not just un-American – it will stifle innovation, dissuade industry from collaborating with government, and allow China and our adversaries to build insurmountable leads in the field of AI. I'm proud to introduce this legislation to put in place necessary safeguards to prevent deadly accidents or misfires by autonomous weapons using new and evolving technologies, while also directing the Pentagon to utilize this cutting-edge technology to promote US national security.