H.R. 8516 — American Leadership in AI Act

This section establishes the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to advance measurement science and support the development of voluntary best practices and technical standards for the reliability, robustness, resilience, security, and safety of artificial intelligence systems. The section also adds definitions for “artificial intelligence red teaming,” “artificial intelligence system,” and “Federal laboratory” to the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020.

This section defines terms for the subtitle, including "covered artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies" as a subset of such technologies identified and maintained by the National Science and Technology Council of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and "Director" as the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

This section requires the Director to brief Congress, not later than one year after enactment and after consulting with relevant Federal agencies, on ongoing standards activities for artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies. The briefing must identify key technical standards under development, standards bodies involved, Federal agency participation, opportunities to enhance U.S. participation by hosting meetings in the United States, and recommendations to increase industry and agency engagement. This section also requires Federal agencies to notify the Director of their participation in such activities and directs the Director, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, to establish a reporting mechanism. In addition, this section directs the Director to create a publicly accessible web portal with regularly updated information on international standards efforts, participation opportunities, and access to both developing and published standards, and authorizes the Director to enter cooperative agreements with nongovernmental organizations to administer the portal.

This section establishes a five-year pilot program under which the Director awards grants to eligible standards-developing organizations (or entities that host them) to support the hosting of meetings on artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies in the United States. Grants may cover up to 50 percent of anticipated costs (not to exceed a maximum amount set by the Director) for planning, venue, and related expenses. The program terminates five years after enactment, is authorized $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, requires the Director to issue guidance and provide annual congressional briefings beginning in year three, and directs the Director to recommend permanent implementation if feasible within two years.

This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop and periodically update voluntary guidance, in collaboration with public and private sector organizations, on practices for the development, release, and assessment of artificial intelligence systems. The guidance must define methods for establishing risk tolerances across use cases based on security, economic, and social risks, as well as categorize norms for documenting training data, model information, evaluations, public reporting, security practices, and release approaches, and provide recommendations for each. The Director must base the guidance on international standards and industry best practices, update the existing voluntary risk management framework for trustworthy artificial intelligence systems as appropriate, avoid prescribing specific technologies, and solicit stakeholder input. The section also requires the Director to brief the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee within 18 months on new materials and policy recommendations, and defines artificial intelligence red teaming as structured adversarial testing to identify flaws and vulnerabilities.

This section establishes the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) and a NAIRR Steering Subcommittee within the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Interagency Committee to oversee its operations. The Subcommittee is chaired by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, who selects members from the Interagency Committee based on expertise in artificial intelligence research and development; the Subcommittee must review its composition at least annually, may form subcommittees or working groups, and is authorized to provide resources or funding to the Operating Entity. The Subcommittee coordinates with the National Science Foundation and a new Program Management Office to approve operating plans and budgets, issue requests for proposals to select an Operating Entity, define key performance indicators, conduct annual evaluations and independent assessments, and release an annual public report with recommendations. Not later than one year after enactment, the National Science Foundation Director, in coordination with the Subcommittee, must establish the NAIRR to spur innovation and advance the development of artificial intelligence research resources, including AI testbeds and other federally supported computational, data, and software resources for use by researchers in STEM fields.

This section directs the Director of the National Science Foundation to partner with leading technology companies to increase access to world-class private sector computing, models, data, and software resources for the research community as part of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource pilot program. The section also requires the Director to ensure the program is operationally capable of connecting researchers and educators in the United States to critical AI resources.

This section establishes the AI Grand Challenges Program at the National Science Foundation to award prizes, using authorities under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, for artificial intelligence research, development, and commercialization that addresses grand challenges in 16 specified categories, including national security, cybersecurity, health, energy, and cross-cutting issues such as robustness and bias mitigation. The Director of the National Science Foundation must establish the program not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, after consulting with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, other agencies, and the public, and must publish problem statements, success metrics, and validation protocols on Challenge.gov. This section further requires the Director, in consultation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Institutes of Health, to establish not later than 1 year after enactment at least one prize competition for artificial intelligence-enabled breakthroughs addressing the most lethal forms of cancer, with not less than $10,000,000 in cash awards to each winner.

This section establishes a grant program administered by the Director of the National Institutes of Health to award grants to eligible entities for research on the use of generative artificial intelligence in health care. Research may address improving clinicians’ ability to record notes or ask relevant questions during patient appointments, reducing administrative burdens, expediting insurance claims processing, improving customer service efficiency, or otherwise advancing health care. In awarding grants, the Director must prioritize entities that encourage deployment of generative artificial intelligence, invest in workforce development for clinicians and administrators, mitigate health care workforce burnout, or improve patient care access for medically underserved populations. Eligible entities include institutions of higher education, tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, and agencies of the Federal Government, states, local governments, or Indian Tribes.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out cross-cutting collaborative research and development activities to jointly advance agency mission requirements and priorities. The Secretary and Director must coordinate such activities through memoranda of understanding or other interagency agreements that require a competitive, merit-based review process. Activities may encompass collaborative research in specified focus areas including plant, animal, and microbial biology; food and nutrition security; rural economic revitalization; artificial intelligence and digital agriculture; precision agriculture tools; and STEM education and workforce development initiatives. The section authorizes support for research infrastructure, translational technologies, data sharing, and the award of grants to establish a Center for Agricultural Research, Education, and Workforce Development, and requires a report to the House and Senate agriculture and science committees within two years of enactment detailing coordination efforts, achievements, and future opportunities. All activities must comply with existing research security requirements under the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act.

This section establishes a cross-cutting Department of Energy artificial intelligence research program to advance AI tools, systems, capabilities, and workforce needs in support of the Department’s missions. The program coordinates across all relevant DOE offices, including the Office of Science, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, Office of Electricity, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, Emergency Response, and ARPA-E. It directs financial assistance for research on large-scale simulations, applied mathematics and statistics, analysis of energy and scientific datasets, automated decision-making systems, energy-efficient computing hardware and data center benchmarks, curation of standardized AI training datasets, and development of trustworthy AI systems with explainability, bias mitigation, and safety features. The section further requires technology transfer activities, upgrades to National Laboratory high-performance computing infrastructure for AI development and training, and establishment of at least one data center testbed to evaluate energy-efficient hardware, algorithms, and cooperative research with industry stakeholders.

This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards and guidelines, including minimum requirements, for artificial intelligence systems used or operated by federal agencies or their contractors (other than national security systems), for managing AI-related risks across agency operations and assets, and for authenticating, tracking provenance, and labeling synthetic content generated by agencies. The Director must also conduct related research and development, provide training recommendations, develop performance indicators, create profiles for small business concerns, evaluate national security AI policies for potential agency application, and periodically assess and revise the standards. In addition, the Director shall complete a study (subject to appropriations) on existing and forthcoming voluntary technical standards for testing, evaluation, verification, and validation of AI acquisitions and, not later than 90 days after completing the study, develop and continuously update standards and guidelines for such activities while convening stakeholders and making risk management recommendations to agency heads.

This section defines terms used throughout the subtitle, including agency, artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence system (any data system, software, application, tool, or utility that operates using machine learning algorithms or other forms of artificial intelligence, but excluding common commercial products such as word processors or map navigation systems), Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Council, Director, and relevant congressional committees.

This section establishes the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers Council not later than 90 days after enactment. The Council promotes AI innovation and responsible design, development, and application across the Federal Government; oversees agency compliance with Governmentwide AI use case inventory and publication requirements; develops recommendations on best practices for AI acquisition, risk management, auditing, and performance while protecting privacy, security, and civil rights; assesses Federal workforce hiring, training, and professional development needs in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management; examines the costs and benefits of Federal AI use and recommends limits on its acquisition and capabilities; reviews already-deployed AI systems for potential harm; and assists the Director in coordinating multi-agency projects, managing AI risks, ensuring transparency and accountability, and monitoring AI capabilities. The Director serves as chair, with a cochair nominated by Council members, membership consisting of the Chief AI Officer of each agency listed in 31 U.S.C. 901(b), a representative from an agency with science and technology advisory experience, and other members as determined by the Director. The Council may establish standing committees and working groups, and the Administrator of General Services provides administrative support.

This section requires the head of each agency to ensure the responsible research, development, acquisition, application, governance, and use of artificial intelligence consistent with democratic values, including privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, information security, nondiscrimination, transparency, and trustworthiness. This section directs each agency head to designate a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer not later than 45 days after the date of enactment, with responsibility for promoting AI innovation and use, providing input on planning and budgeting decisions, developing risk management plans that classify risk levels and identify prohibited use cases, assessing personnel needs, overseeing AI design and acquisition processes, ensuring compliance with the Constitution and governmentwide requirements, monitoring system capabilities and impacts, and reviewing deployed systems for potential harm. The section requires the Director to issue guidance on the reporting structure, qualifications, and seniority for the role; mandates that the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at agencies listed in 31 U.S.C. 901(b) be an executive above the GS-15 level; and requires agency heads to inform relevant congressional committees of the designation and any additional authorities within 60 days after enactment.

This section directs the Director to issue guidance not later than 120 days after enactment requiring the heads of specified agencies to establish an Artificial Intelligence Coordination Board to coordinate agency AI issues and publish statements of principles and goals relating to AI. The guidance must define board structure and activities and ensure membership may include the deputy head of the agency, the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (as chair), the chief information officer, the chief data officer, the senior agency official for privacy, the senior agency official for civil rights and civil liberties, and other designated individuals. This section also requires each agency head to establish an artificial intelligence strategy for the responsible adoption of AI that includes defined roles and responsibilities, ethical principles, standards for trust and safety, risk mitigation for privacy and civil rights, workforce development, interagency coordination, data availability, private-sector engagement, and an outline of implementation actions.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the relevant congressional committees, not later than two years after the date of enactment of this Act, a report on the implementation and effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Coordination Boards and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers established pursuant to section 314(a) guidance. The report must include recommendations for improving such boards and officers; an analysis of the costs and benefits of federal artificial intelligence implementation and board activities; assessments of agency consideration of costs and benefits in artificial intelligence design, development, deployment, and monitoring, as well as the extent to which select agencies protect privacy and mitigate bias; an evaluation of jobs at risk of dislocation and new opportunities across blue collar and white collar occupational categories; an inventory of agency artificial intelligence use cases; and other relevant matters. This section also requires a separate report on the impact of biased datasets on federal use and implementation of artificial intelligence systems.

This section directs the Director, not later than five years after the date of enactment of this Act, to consider technological and other developments, current and future requirements, and options for artificial intelligence governance, and to issue a directive to agencies updating leadership roles, organizational structures, and other matters relating to artificial intelligence that includes an action plan and timeline for implementation.

This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in coordination with industry stakeholders, standards development organizations, and Federal agencies, to establish common definitions and characteristics of artificial intelligence security vulnerabilities, support related technical standards and guidance, and update the National Vulnerability Database and associated processes to incorporate such vulnerabilities to the greatest extent practicable. This section also requires the Director, in consultation with the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to convene a multi-stakeholder process involving industry, academia, nonprofits, civil society, and Sector Risk Management Agencies to develop common definitions, taxonomies, guidelines, and standardized voluntary reporting mechanisms for substantial artificial intelligence security incidents and substantial artificial intelligence safety incidents, and to submit a report to Congress on such a process not later than three years after enactment. This section limits the Director to authorities in effect prior to enactment and defines artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence security vulnerability, and artificial intelligence system.

This section establishes the AI Workforce Research Hub in the Department of Labor. The Secretary of Labor, acting through the Hub and in collaboration with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, evaluates the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market and United States workers, produces recurring evaluations of such impact, conducts scenario planning for a range of potential impact levels, and identifies insights to inform workforce and education policy. The section defines AI by reference to the meaning of artificial intelligence in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401).

This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop or identify, and disseminate, resources for small business concerns relating to artificial intelligence. The resources must be generally applicable across small businesses, promote basic understanding and adoption of AI use cases, include case studies, remain technology-neutral, align with international voluntary standards, and reference existing federal resources such as the NIST risk management framework. The Director must review and update the resources at least every two years, coordinate distribution with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration through its resource partners, and submit a report to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee within four years that includes a list of resources, recipient feedback, and recommendations for further congressional action. Use of the resources is voluntary.

This section expands the civil action for nonconsensual disclosure of intimate images to cover intimate digital forgeries. It revises definitions in 15 U.S.C. 6851(a) by adding “competent” to the consent standard, striking the prior definition of “digital forgery,” inserting new definitions of “identifiable individual” and “intimate digital forgery” (any intimate visual depiction created or altered through software, machine learning, AI, or other technological means that is indistinguishable from an authentic depiction when viewed by a reasonable person), and broadening the sexually explicit conduct category; it further amends subsection (b) to authorize civil actions by an identifiable individual against any person who knowingly produces, possesses with intent to disclose, discloses, or solicits and receives an intimate digital forgery without consent in or affecting interstate commerce, with the same relief available as for traditional intimate visual depictions.

This section provides (1) a severability clause ensuring that if any provision of the subtitle or amendment made by the subtitle is held unconstitutional, the remaining provisions and amendments continue in effect; and (2) a rule of construction stating that nothing in the subtitle or amendments made by the subtitle limits or expands any law pertaining to intellectual property.

This section increases penalties for mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering when committed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and defines the term for these purposes. For mail fraud and wire fraud, the section raises the maximum fine to $2,000,000 (from $1,000,000) and adds a new penalty of a fine of not more than $1,000,000 or imprisonment for not more than 20 years (or both) when the offense involves artificial intelligence. For bank fraud, the section adds a new subsection imposing a fine of not more than $2,000,000 or imprisonment for not more than 30 years (or both) when the offense involves artificial intelligence. For money laundering, the section adds enhanced penalties when the offense involves artificial intelligence, including a fine of not more than $1,000,000 or three times the value of the funds involved (whichever is greater) and imprisonment for not more than 20 years. The section also defines artificial intelligence by reference to section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401) and redesignates the relevant definitional section accordingly.

This section increases the maximum fine for impersonating a federal official under 18 U.S.C. 912 to $1,000,000 when the violation is committed with the assistance of artificial intelligence (as defined in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020).

This section defines terms used throughout the subtitle, including AI security vulnerability (any security failure allowing emerging artificial intelligence technology to be acquired by theft or other means), AI violation (any Federal law violation related to artificial intelligence development, deployment, or use, or any failure to respond to substantial dangers to public safety, health, or national security), artificial intelligence (including systems that perform tasks without significant human oversight, learn from data, or approximate cognitive tasks), artificial system (any data system, software, or tool using machine learning algorithms, excluding common commercial products like word processors), covered individual (employees and independent contractors, including former ones), and employer (any person engaged in commerce who compensates covered individuals for work).

This section prohibits employers from discharging, demoting, harassing, or otherwise discriminating against covered individuals in the terms and conditions of employment or post-employment because the individual provides information about an AI security vulnerability or AI violation to a regulatory official, law enforcement agency, Member of Congress, supervisor, or other authorized person, or participates in related investigations or proceedings. Aggrieved individuals may file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor or, after 180 days without a final decision, bring an action in district court, subject to a statute of limitations of 6 years from the violation or 3 years from discovery of material facts, but no more than 10 years in any case. Prevailing individuals receive reinstatement with seniority, twice the back pay owed with interest, compensatory damages including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees, and other appropriate relief. The section renders unenforceable any contractual waivers of these rights and remedies, including agreements requiring arbitration or other alternative dispute resolution.

This section directs the Director of the National Science Foundation to provide general support to the STEM Teachers Corps Pilot Program and the Computer Science for All Program in accordance with the recommendations of the AI Task Force established on February 20, 2024, by the House of Representatives.

This section establishes a new employee cybersecurity education tax credit under section 45BB of the Internal Revenue Code. The credit equals 50 percent of an employer’s qualified expenses for employee cybersecurity education, limited to $5,000 per employee. Qualified expenses include costs for employees to obtain undergraduate or graduate degrees, certificates, or industry-recognized certifications in specialty areas and work roles listed in the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The credit is added to the general business credit under section 38, double benefits are denied under section 280C, and the amendments apply to taxable years beginning after the date of enactment.

This section directs the head of an executive agency to award a five percent score increase to each competitive proposal submitted by a qualified offeror for contracts valued in excess of $5,000,000. A qualified offeror is a business that has claimed the employee cybersecurity education credit under section 45BB of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by section 611, at least once in the three-year period preceding submission of the proposal.

This section authorizes the National Science Foundation Director to make merit-reviewed, competitive awards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and consortia to develop K–12 artificial intelligence literacy curricula and evaluation methods. Activities supported by the awards may include learner-centered curriculum development, professional learning opportunities for educators and school leaders, AI literacy assessment tools, hands-on learning resources, and integration of responsible AI use into existing curricula. The Director may implement the awards through new or existing programs. The section defines AI literacy as age-appropriate knowledge and ability to use AI effectively, interpret outputs critically, solve problems in an AI-enabled world, and apply AI safely and ethically.

This section directs the Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with other agency heads, to make competitive, merit-reviewed awards to eligible institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations (or consortia thereof) to broaden participation in artificial intelligence research, education, and workforce development by increasing capacity and partnerships for AI research and development. Eligible institutions include those not among the top 100 recipients of Federal research and development expenditures over the prior three years, historically Black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and consortia of such entities. Awards may support development or expansion of AI research programs, faculty recruitment and professional development, bridge programs for post-baccalaureate students, access to computing and data resources, community-building activities, workshops, integration of ethical practices into curricula, and other related capacity-building efforts. The Director must conduct outreach to eligible applicants, particularly from underserved communities and underrepresented groups, ensure awards complement rather than duplicate existing programs, and consider applicant support for diverse students, geographic diversity, and relative resource constraints when making awards.

This section authorizes the Director of the National Science Foundation to support scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in programs leading to degrees or concentrations in the design, research, development, or application of artificial intelligence, with awards covering tuition, fees, stipends, and professional development funds for up to five years. It further directs the Director to establish artificial intelligence professional development fellowships for students, faculty, industry professionals, and K–12 school professionals; conduct a nationwide outreach campaign to promote NSF-funded AI education opportunities, with priority for groups historically underrepresented in STEM and rural areas; and submit a report to Congress no later than seven years after enactment.

This section establishes up to eight regionally and geographically diverse Community College and Area Career and Technical Education Centers of AI Excellence. The Director of the National Science Foundation, in coordination with the Department of Commerce’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hub program and leveraging the Regional Innovation Engines and Advanced Technological Education program, designates eligible applicants—community colleges or area career and technical education schools in partnership with Federal, State, local, territorial, or Tribal entities, institutions of higher education, private industry, economic development organizations, workforce training organizations, or nonprofits—to serve as centers that integrate artificial intelligence into teaching, learning, and community engagement. Centers develop and disseminate best practices for AI research and education at community colleges and area career and technical education schools, scaling successful programs, integrating AI into curricula, providing hands-on research and learning opportunities, identifying AI-enabled job pathways, and facilitating employer partnerships for apprenticeships, internships, and applied learning experiences. The Director evaluates center activities, integrates related research findings, and submits a report to Congress with results and recommendations for administrative and legislative action within 180 days after completing the evaluation.

This section authorizes the Director of the National Science Foundation to make competitive, merit-reviewed awards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and certain consortia to support research on teaching models, tools, and materials for integrating artificial intelligence into pre-kindergarten through grade 12 classrooms serving low-income, rural, or Tribal populations. Awards may be used to prepare incoming K–12 teachers to integrate artificial intelligence, develop instructional materials and high-quality learning opportunities, create scalable models of teacher professional development, and design tools to support student success and inclusion in artificial intelligence across diverse populations. The Director must encourage partnerships with entities experienced in K–12 artificial intelligence integration, consortia involving schools and school districts, and commitments from school leaders to prioritize proposed reforms. This section also directs the Director to establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural and traditionally underserved areas to provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for K–12 educators, principals, and other school leaders, enabling them to engage with one another and with researchers, academia, and local industry on artificial intelligence education efforts. The Director may implement the awards and pilot program through new or existing programs, including the pilot authorized under section 10511(a)(2)(B) of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act.

This section expands the National STEM Teacher Corps by adding requirements to incorporate artificial intelligence skills development and to consider developing artificial intelligence best practices for high school teachers in consultation with other educators and academia.