U.S. bill names N. Korea, Iran among countries of concern in AI cybersecurity initiative

U.S. lawmakers have introduced the AI Cyber Defense Act, a bill aiming to bolster American cybersecurity defenses against AI attacks, according to congressional data. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) and Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA) introduced the bill, which names North Korea and Iran as countries of concern. The legislation would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to collaborate with private-sector AI stakeholders in developing voluntary standards and best practices for identifying and thwarting AI distillation attacks.

This technique involves transferring knowledge or capabilities from one AI model to another. Additionally, NIST must establish an AI Cybersecurity Roundtable within 180 days of the bill's enactment to create voluntary standards and best practices related to the defensive use of artificial intelligence for cybersecurity purposes.

The bill's introduction follows the Treasury Department's proposal to increase restrictions on American investments in sensitive technologies, including North Korea and several other nations, in a bid to prevent adversaries from utilizing U.S. capital to develop advanced military capabilities.