The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on Sept. 3 voted 21-0 to advance legislation led by U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) that would assess terrorist threats posed online by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
“This bill is crucial right now to respond to the emerging threats of tomorrow,” Rep. Pfluger said from the House floor in support of his measure. “The use of GenAI is on the rise, with new models coming online more and more frequently.”
The congressman on Feb. 27 sponsored the Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act, H.R. 1736, alongside two Republican original cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO).
If enacted, H.R. 1736 would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the U.S. posed by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) utilizing GenAI applications.
In his remarks, Rep. Pfluger pointed out that the subcommittee he chairs, the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, on March 4 held a hearing titled, “The Digital Battlefield: How Terrorists Use Online Networks for Recruitment and Radicalization,” to learn about how America can simultaneously protect first amendment rights while taking proactive measures to prevent future terrorist attacks.
The subcommittee, he said, examined how FTOs use GenAI to recruit and radicalize lone wolf actors on the Internet.
“The subcommittee found that FTOs use GenAI for online radicalization by producing highly convincing propaganda videos to fabricate events and manipulate the perception of potential recruits,” said Rep. Pfluger on Wednesday. “Known terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda have even gone as far as to have AI workshops to train members on its use.”
Because the heightened terrorism threat landscape and the increasing utilization of GenAI applications by terrorist organizations represent a national security threat, and the challenges posed by such a threat are not well understood, according to the bill’s text, the DHS secretary, in consultation with the director of National Intelligence, shall submit annual assessments on such threats to the appropriate congressional committees.
The measure now heads to the full U.S. House for consideration.