Lawmakers Advance AI Provisions In Must-Pass Defense Bill

On December 7, 2024, House and Senate Armed Services committee leaders unveiled legislative text (H.R. 5009) and a joint explanatory statement for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 must-pass defense authorization bill, which contains a number of artificial intelligence (AI) provisions that will likely become law, setting the stage for an initial vote in the House, followed by the Senate, with lawmakers potentially wrapping up the package by the end of the week.

The conference report is the product of bicameral negotiations to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The House passed its version (H.R. 8070) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in June, while the Senate filed a managers package to its Committee-passed version (S. 4638) in October (see prior alert here).