Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023
This bill prohibits the use of federal funds for an autonomous weapons system that is not subject to meaningful human control to launch a nuclear weapon or to select or engage targets for the purposes of launching a nuclear weapon. With respect to an autonomous weapons system, meaningful human control means human control of the (1) selection and engagement of targets, and (2) time, location, and manner of use.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2894 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2894
To prohibit the use of Federal funds to launch a nuclear weapon using
an autonomous weapons system that is not subject to meaningful human
control, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 26, 2023
Mr. Lieu (for himself, Mr. Buck, and Mr. Beyer) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services,
and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit the use of Federal funds to launch a nuclear weapon using
an autonomous weapons system that is not subject to meaningful human
control, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous
Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Department of Defense Directive 3000.09 defines
``autonomous weapons system'' as a weapons system that, once
activated, can select and engage targets without further
intervention by an operator.
(2) Article 3, clause 8 of the United Nations Convention on
Certain Conventional Weapons prohibits the indiscriminate use
of weapons, which is defined as ``any placement of such weapons
. . . which may be expected to cause incidental loss of
civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects,
or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation
to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated''.
(3) Section 5.10 of the Department of Defense Law of War
Manual states ``[c]ommanders, at all levels, have a great
responsibility to exercise the leadership necessary to reduce
the risk of harm to civilians and civilian objects''.
(4) In a report on autonomous weapons systems published on
December 1, 2021, Human Rights Watch and the International
Human Rights Clinic of Harvard Law School argue that ``[r]obots
lack the compassion, empathy, mercy, and judgment necessary to
treat humans humanely, and they cannot understand the inherent
worth of human life''.
(5) The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review states ``[i]n all
cases, the United States will maintain a human `in the loop'
for all actions critical to informing and executing decisions
by the President to initiate and terminate nuclear weapon
employment''.
(6) The National Security Commission on Artificial
Intelligence, established by Congress pursuant to section 1051
of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019
(Public Law 115-232), recommends that the United States
``clearly and publicly affirm existing U.S. policy that only
human beings can authorize employment of nuclear weapons and
seek similar commitments from Russia and China''.
(7) On February 16, 2023, the Department of State issued a
Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial
Intelligence and Autonomy, which includes the following
statement: ``States should maintain human control and
involvement for all actions critical to informing and executing
sovereign decisions concerning nuclear weapons''.
(8) Large-scale nuclear war would lead to the deaths of
millions of people, firestorms, radioactive fallout
contamination, agricultural failure, and catastrophic climate
results.
(9) To comply with international humanitarian law, human
control and human legal judgment are essential in the nuclear
command and control process.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the use of lethal, autonomous nuclear weapons systems
that are not subject to meaningful human control cannot
properly adhere to international humanitarian law; and
(2) any decision to launch any nuclear weapon should not be
made by artificial intelligence.
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO DEPLOY NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WITH AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS NOT SUBJECT TO MEANINGFUL
HUMAN CONTROL.
(a) In General.--None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or
otherwise made available for any fiscal year may be obligated or
expended to use an autonomous weapons system that is not subject to
meaningful human control to--
(1) launch a nuclear weapon; or
(2) select or engage targets for the purposes of launching
a nuclear weapon.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``autonomous weapons system'' has the meaning
given such term in Department of Defense Directive 3000.09,
titled ``Autonomy in Weapons Systems'' as in effect on the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(2) The term ``meaningful human control'' means, with
respect to an autonomous weapons system, human control of--
(A) the selection and engagement of targets; and
(B) the time, location, and manner of use.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line