Title: Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the principles that should guide the national artificial intelligence strategy of the United States.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
This concurrent resolution sets forth considerations for Congress in guiding the national artificial intelligence strategy.
Specifically, the resolution, among other things, expresses the sense of Congress that

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 116 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 116

 Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the principles that 
   should guide the national artificial intelligence strategy of the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2020

Mr. Hurd of Texas (for himself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Chabot, Mr. 
Veasey, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Baird, Mr. Cloud, and Mr. Connolly) submitted 
    the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 
   Committees on Education and Labor, Oversight and Reform, Foreign 
 Affairs, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the principles that 
   should guide the national artificial intelligence strategy of the 
                             United States.

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
              STRATEGY OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In general, artificial intelligence is the ability of a 
        computer system to solve problems and to perform tasks that 
        would otherwise require human intelligence.
            (2) Artificial intelligence will transform the nature of 
        work and nearly all aspects of the United States economy.
            (3) Artificial intelligence will have immense implications 
        for the security of the United States and its allies and 
        partners.
            (4) Investments made by the United States Government will 
        be instrumental in the research and development of artificial 
        intelligence and artificial intelligence-enabling technologies, 
        as it has been for many of the world's revolutionary 
        technologies.
            (5) Developing and using artificial intelligence in ways 
        that are ethical, reduce bias, promote fairness, and protect 
        privacy is essential for fostering a positive effect on society 
        consistent with core United States values.
            (6) The Obama Administration released the Big Data Research 
        and Development Initiative in 2012, Executive Order 13702 
        (relating to creating a national strategic computing 
        initiative) in 2015, and the National Artificial Intelligence 
        Research and Development Strategic Plan in 2016.
            (7) The Trump Administration released Executive Order 13859 
        (relating to maintaining American leadership in artificial 
        intelligence), updated the National Artificial Intelligence 
        Research and Development Strategic Plan in 2019, and released 
        Office of Management and Budget guidance for regulation of 
        artificial intelligence applications in 2020.
            (8) In May 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation 
        and Development (OECD) adopted the OECD Principles on 
        Artificial Intelligence, which included the principles of 
        inclusive growth, sustainable development and well-being, 
        human-centered values and fairness, transparency and 
        explainability, robustness, security and safety, and 
        accountability.
            (9) In June 2020, the G7 and several partners launched the 
        Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to increase 
        cooperation focused around the areas of responsible artificial 
        intelligence, data governance, the future of work, and 
        innovation and commercialization.
            (10) Several United States allies, including Canada, 
        Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, 
        and South Korea, have published national artificial 
        intelligence strategies with detailed funding commitments.
            (11) In 2017, China published a national artificial 
        intelligence strategy that detailed the Chinese Communist 
        Party's goal to become the world's primary artificial 
        intelligence innovation center by 2030.
            (12) In 2019, Russia published a national artificial 
        intelligence strategy and, in 2017, Russian President Vladimir 
        Putin said that ``whoever becomes the leader in this sphere 
        will become the ruler of the world''.
            (13) In 2018, the Subcommittee on Information Technology of 
        the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House 
        of Representatives, under the leadership of Chairman Will Hurd 
        and Ranking Member Robin Kelly, published ``Rise of the 
        Machines: Artificial Intelligence and its Growing Impact on 
        U.S. Policy'' following a series of hearings on artificial 
        intelligence with experts from academia, industry, and 
        government, concluding that ``the United States cannot maintain 
        its global leadership in artificial intelligence absent 
        political leadership from Congress and the Executive Branch''.
            (14) Congress serves a critical role in establishing 
        national priorities, funding scientific research and 
        development, supporting emerging technologies, and sustaining 
        cooperation with our allies to protect the national security of 
        the United States.
    (b) National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Principles.--It is 
the sense of Congress that the following principles should guide the 
national artificial intelligence strategy of the United States:
            (1) Global leadership.
            (2) A prepared workforce.
            (3) National security.
            (4) Effective research and development.
            (5) Ethics, reduced bias, fairness, and privacy.

SEC. 2. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP.

    It is the sense of Congress that the United States should take a 
global leadership role in artificial intelligence.

SEC. 3. WORKFORCE PREPARATION.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Artificial intelligence and automation will present 
        significant challenges to workers in affected industries, but 
        will also automate routine and repetitive tasks to give workers 
        more time to focus on other tasks that involve social and 
        creative intelligence.
            (2) Closing the artificial intelligence talent gap in the 
        short and medium-term will require a targeted approach to 
        identifying and filling roles that require artificial 
        intelligence skills.
            (3) The United States should take a leadership role in the 
        artificial intelligence-driven economy by filling the 
        artificial intelligence talent gap and preparing United States 
        workers for the jobs of the future, including by prioritizing 
        inclusivity and equal opportunity.
            (4) Departments and agencies of the Federal Government are 
        increasingly using data to administer benefits, assess 
        outcomes, and fulfill other mission-critical activities.
            (5) Effectively creating, managing, and implementing 
        artificial intelligence related research and development grants 
        will require technical expertise.
            (6) Departments and agencies of the Federal Government will 
        need to be able to recruit employees with technical expertise.
            (7) The United States needs a conceptual restructuring of 
        education to reflect the necessity of a lifelong learning 
        process.
            (8) Artificial intelligence will exacerbate the 
        unpredictable nature of what skills will be in demand or 
        obsolete in the future.
            (9) An artificial intelligence-driven economy will require 
        social and creative intelligence in addition to technical 
        skills.
            (10) Lifelong learning and skill acquisition can increase 
        flexibility with respect to career opportunities.
            (11) The United States will need to be able to attract the 
        best artificial intelligence researchers and computer 
        scientists from around the world to work in the United States.
    (b) Matters To Consider.--
            (1) Education.--
                    (A) In general.--It is the sense of Congress that 
                the Federal Government should--
                            (i) increase funding for existing 
                        technology education programs;
                            (ii) develop voluntary guidelines for 
                        universities with respect to how to incorporate 
                        a liberal arts curriculum, including 
                        requirements for courses with respect to 
                        ethics, into science, technology, engineering, 
                        mathematics, and computer science curriculums 
                        and how to incorporate statistics and data-
                        driven decision making into complementary 
                        fields;
                            (iii) ensure that new education pathways 
                        incorporate industry-sponsored, standards-
                        based, and recognized stackable credentials, 
                        including certifications and certificates, as 
                        part of degree tracks; and
                            (iv) develop strategic partnerships with 
                        the private sector to create a Federal program 
                        for the purposes of increasing the relevant 
                        skills of current educators and ensuring that 
                        more teachers are available in school districts 
                        that are under-served with respect to science, 
                        technology, engineering, mathematics, and 
                        computer science educators.
                    (B) Education modernization studies.--It is the 
                sense of Congress that congressional committees should 
                conduct studies with respect to how to adapt the 
                education system in the United States to prepare 
                students and workers for an artificial intelligence-
                driven economy, including studies with respect to the 
                following:
                            (i) How States, universities, and local 
                        educational agencies can--
                                    (I) update curriculums to include 
                                relevant subjects;
                                    (II) make education more 
                                affordable; and
                                    (III) promote inclusivity for 
                                under-represented communities and 
                                marginalized groups.
                            (ii) How computer and data science 
                        education can be taught to students at an 
                        earlier age.
                            (iii) How to encourage colleges and State 
                        institutions to update their credit transfer 
                        policies to make it easier for students to 
                        transfer their course credits.
            (2) Promoting diversity.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the Federal Government should--
                    (A) implement policies to ensure the inclusion of 
                under-represented communities and marginalized groups 
                in existing technology education programs;
                    (B) create programs for the purpose of exploring 
                ways to increase workforce diversity and the retention 
                of diverse talent at all levels of an organization; and
                    (C) review recruitment and retention policies with 
                respect to under-represented communities and 
                marginalized groups for the purpose of determining if 
                such policies require modification for the technology 
                sector.
            (3) Artificial intelligence training.--
                    (A) In general.--It is the sense of Congress that 
                the Federal Government should assess the effectiveness 
                of current job training and safety net programs with 
                respect to how adept such programs are likely to be in 
                addressing job disruptions and job creations that 
                result from the increased use of artificial 
                intelligence.
                    (B) Work-based training programs.--It is the sense 
                of Congress that the Federal Government should consider 
                the importance of work-based training programs, 
                including Last Mile Training programs, in preparing the 
                United States workforce for an artificial intelligence-
                driven economy, including by--
                            (i) undertaking studies to determine the 
                        best methods to promote such programs and 
                        ensure such programs are accredited;
                            (ii) ensuring that such programs have the 
                        opportunity to receive Federal funding under 
                        relevant Federal programs; and
                            (iii) creating a pilot program that 
                        includes job training programs as programs for 
                        which individuals may be eligible to receive a 
                        Federal Pell Grant.
            (4) Hiring practices.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
        Federal Government should--
                    (A) allow technical experts to use their skills to 
                assist multiple departments and agencies of the Federal 
                Government;
                    (B) create fellowship programs with respect to 
                artificial intelligence education for the purpose of 
                increasing the number of individuals with artificial 
                intelligence expertise that the Federal Government can 
                recruit;
                    (C) include in the criteria for recruiting for 
                artificial intelligence jobs the consideration of a 
                multi-disciplinary set of skills and an understanding 
                of ethics;
                    (D) review hiring practices for employment in the 
                Federal Government for the purpose of ensuring that 
                such practices do not disqualify individuals with a 
                less traditional background, due to a lack of degree 
                attainment, who have artificial intelligence skills; 
                and
                    (E) conduct studies with respect to best practices 
                for hiring on the basis of a skills-based approach.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL SECURITY.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Artificial intelligence will have immense implications 
        for national and international security.
            (2) Artificial intelligence tools and systems can augment 
        human intelligence through human-machine collaboration and 
        teaming across the national security ecosystem.
            (3) Ensuring that the public trusts the ability of the 
        military to ethically use artificial intelligence and that 
        human operators in human-machine teams trust the artificial 
        intelligence will be critical factors with respect to the 
        successful implementation of artificial intelligence systems.
            (4) The continued proliferation of national artificial 
        intelligence strategies, plans, statements, and investments 
        demonstrates the increase in global competition in this area.
            (5) New paradigms will be required to effectively test 
        artificial intelligence and to ensure that it is reliable and 
        stable.
            (6) Export and investment controls will be important policy 
        tools to prevent the acquisition of sensitive artificial 
        intelligence and artificial intelligence-enabling technologies, 
        including hardware such as semiconductors and semiconductor 
        manufacturing equipment, by China, Russia, and other 
        adversaries.
    (b) Matters To Consider.--
            (1) Collaboration with foreign nations.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that the United States should--
                    (A) leverage its alliances to promote democratic 
                principles, foster research collaboration, and develop 
                common standards with respect to artificial 
                intelligence;
                    (B) promote the interoperability of artificial 
                intelligence for the purpose of strengthening 
                alliances;
                    (C) along with allies, take a leading role in 
                international forums to set artificial intelligence 
                principles, norms, and standards; and
                    (D) undertake efforts to engage with China and 
                Russia with respect to--
                            (i) shared concerns about artificial 
                        intelligence safety; and
                            (ii) confidence-building by establishing 
                        crisis communications procedures designed to 
                        reduce the likelihood of unintentional use and 
                        the risk of escalation with respect to 
                        artificial intelligence systems.
            (2) Foreign artificial intelligence capability.--It is the 
        sense of Congress that national security agencies should 
        consider conditions-based and capabilities-based approaches 
        when evaluating global artificial intelligence capabilities.
            (3) Development and deployment.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that national security agencies should--
                    (A) collaborate with experts in academia, the 
                private sector, and other departments and agencies of 
                the Federal Government to develop best practices for 
                testing, evaluation, validation, and verification of 
                artificial intelligence systems;
                    (B) devote institutional resources, including 
                investing in research, for the purpose of promoting 
                trustworthiness with respect to human-machine teams;
                    (C) engage with experts to develop guidelines for 
                the ethical development and use of artificial 
                intelligence systems; and
                    (D) prioritize the development of artificial 
                intelligence systems to cover non-critical tasks until 
                such systems can achieve suitable standards of 
                reliability, interoperability, and security.
            (4) Export and investment controls.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that the United States should collaborate with its 
        allies to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence systems 
        by China, Russia, and other adversaries.

SEC. 5. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Federal funding plays an important role in the research 
        and development cycle.
            (2) Federal research and development investments need to be 
        significantly increased to ensure United States leadership in 
        artificial intelligence.
            (3) Federally supported research will play an important 
        role in supporting artificial intelligence techniques that are 
        critical to United States artificial intelligence leadership, 
        including by requiring smaller data sets to train artificial 
        intelligence systems and making more efficient use of computing 
        resources.
            (4) Artificial intelligence advances are enabled by Federal 
        research and development investments in other technology 
        sectors because United States competitiveness will depend on 
        strong capabilities across a range of technologies.
            (5) Computing power is essential to progress in artificial 
        intelligence development, and the amount of computing power 
        required for artificial intelligence training runs is 
        increasing exponentially.
            (6) A new wave of technological advances could be fostered 
        by combining and increasing access to government-owned and 
        government-funded computing and data resources.
            (7) Narrowing the digital divide will be essential to 
        creating new job opportunities and stimulating the growth of 
        new technology and innovation clusters to support United States 
        leadership in artificial intelligence.
            (8) Incentivizing research and development across the 
        private sector, particularly from smaller companies, will 
        further strengthen the United States innovation ecosystem.
            (9) The United States is an attractive research and 
        development partner because of its open democratic society with 
        world-class universities, research institutes, and 
        corporations.
            (10) Decades of experience show that joint work with 
        foreign researchers can be done with great benefit and little 
        detriment to United States economic and national security, with 
        the implementation of proper safeguards.
            (11) Artificial intelligence standards and measurement are 
        essential to fostering artificial intelligence technologies 
        that are safe, secure, reliable, and comport with the norms and 
        values of the United States.
            (12) Metrics are how the artificial intelligence research 
        community guides itself and prioritizes research.
            (13) Benchmark tests are necessary to understand the 
        performance of an artificial intelligence system.
            (14) Current tests for measuring artificial intelligence 
        range from vague and conceptual to well-defined and mature.
            (15) Artificial intelligence measurement methodologies are 
        not static and will require periodic reexaminations and updates 
        of testing methodologies to ensure that artificial intelligence 
        systems are functioning optimally.
            (16) United States leadership in global artificial 
        intelligence standards-setting will help ensure that artificial 
        intelligence implementations are in accordance with United 
        States strengths and comport with the interests and values of 
        the United States.
            (17) Public engagement is necessary for developing 
        voluntary standards frameworks to ensure diverse perspectives 
        are considered.
    (b) Matters To Consider.--
            (1) Federal funding.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
        Federal Government should increase investments in artificial 
        intelligence research and development and related fields.
            (2) Collaboration with other entities.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that the Federal Government should collaborate--
                    (A) with the private sector, civil society, and 
                academia--
                            (i) to ensure that the United States 
                        innovation ecosystem leads the world in 
                        artificial intelligence research and 
                        development; and
                            (ii) to develop a voluntary standards 
                        framework that will help create shared 
                        conceptual foundations, terminology, and best 
                        practices for artificial intelligence fairness 
                        and bias mitigation; and
                    (B) with science funding organizations in allied 
                countries to establish multilateral teams of artificial 
                intelligence researchers from the public and private 
                sectors to promote talent development and foster 
                partnerships on artificial intelligence research and 
                development.
            (3) Narrowing the digital divide.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that the Federal Government should--
                    (A) expand access to broadband in rural and 
                underserved areas;
                    (B) expand the availability of affordable graphics 
                processing units and high-performance computers in 
                rural and underserved areas;
                    (C) improve digital infrastructure in the United 
                States; and
                    (D) make data created by federally-funded 
                scientific and technical research publicly available 
                with appropriate privacy protections to provide 
                artificial intelligence researchers with new data sets 
                to train their systems.
            (4) National computing and data resource.--It is the sense 
        of Congress that Congress should consider establishing a 
        national computing and data resource.
            (5) Access to national laboratories.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that the existing supercomputing labs at the national 
        laboratories and technology centers of the Department of Energy 
        should expand opportunities for academics and researchers to 
        access such labs for artificial intelligence research and 
        research related to artificial intelligence.
            (6) Tax incentives.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        Congress should examine whether targeted incentives and reforms 
        to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 would increase private 
        sector research and development, particularly with respect to 
        small cap corporations.

SEC. 6. ETHICS, REDUCED BIAS, FAIRNESS, AND PRIVACY.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The rise of artificial intelligence has great potential 
        to improve quality of life for individuals in the United 
        States, provided it is developed and used in a manner that is 
        ethical, reduces bias, promotes fairness, and protects privacy.
            (2) A diverse artificial intelligence workforce is 
        important for mitigating bias.
            (3) The United States is uniquely positioned to leverage 
        its diverse workforce to lead in artificial intelligence.
            (4) The starting point for Federal oversight of artificial 
        intelligence should be existing regulatory frameworks.
            (5) Regulatory sandboxes can be used to test a product 
        designed to mitigate unintended bias or promote fairness in a 
        small-scale environment and under the supervision of 
        regulators.
            (6) Programs should have necessary safeguards and oversight 
        processes.
            (7) Artificial intelligence regulatory approaches must 
        consider the level of risk associated with different artificial 
        intelligence applications.
    (b) Matters To Consider.--
            (1) Bias mitigation.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        departments and agencies of the Federal Government should--
                    (A) support technical and non-technical research 
                and development to address potential bias, fairness, 
                and privacy issues in artificial intelligence;
                    (B) improve access to non-sensitive government 
                datasets to help reduce bias in the data used to train 
                artificial intelligence systems;
                    (C) implement title II of the Foundations for 
                Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 
                115-435; 132 Stat. 5529); and
                    (D) further develop and release to the public 
                available benchmark datasets, including with proper 
                safeguards to protect privacy, mitigate bias, and 
                promote inclusivity.
            (2) Regulation and legislation review.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that congressional committees should--
                    (A) review the range of existing Federal 
                regulations and laws that potentially apply to 
                artificial intelligence;
                    (B) determine which laws apply to artificial 
                intelligence;
                    (C) determine if any gaps in appropriate 
                legislation and regulation exist and how such gaps 
                could be addressed;
                    (D) enact Federal privacy legislation to build 
                trust, prevent harm, prevent ceding leadership in 
                artificial intelligence to other nations, and create 
                international standards; and
                    (E) conduct regular oversight of artificial 
                intelligence policies in the executive branch within 
                their jurisdiction.
            (3) Federal funding.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        Congress should support funding for departments and agencies of 
        the Federal Government interested in adopting programs, 
        including regulatory sandboxes, for the purposes of temporarily 
        approving, testing, and monitoring innovating artificial 
        intelligence tools in limited markets.
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