Defense AI Reliability and Reporting Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 10189
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-08-31: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
- Last Updated
- 2026-09-22T18:33:03Z
AI-Generated Summary
Defense AI Reliability and Reporting Act (H.R. 10189)
Purpose of the Legislation
This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to create a centralized program within the Department of Defense for reporting, tracking, analyzing, and addressing problems with artificial intelligence systems used in development, testing, procurement, fielding, or operations. The goal is to identify risks, improve safety and reliability, and support better decision-making on AI use.
Key Provisions
- Program Establishment: Requires a Department-wide system for handling covered AI incidents and vulnerabilities, drawing from existing safety and vulnerability reporting practices.
- Non-Punitive Reporting: Includes protections for good-faith reports from military members, civilian employees, contractors, and subcontractors, preventing retaliation or adverse actions based solely on the report.
- Categorization and Response: Mandates prompt reporting and categorization of issues as requiring Department-wide, program-level, or local responses, with coordination for significant cases including corrective action plans and validation of fixes.
- Information Protection: Establishes procedures to safeguard sensitive, proprietary, and classified information.
- Annual Reporting: Requires the Secretary to submit unclassified reports (with possible classified annexes) to congressional defense committees each year from 2027 through 2031, detailing report numbers, trends, specific incidents involving harm, and policy recommendations.
- Definitions: Defines "artificial intelligence" by reference to existing law and outlines "covered AI incident" (events causing unintended harm, operating outside parameters, or raising control concerns) and "covered AI vulnerability" (exploitable weaknesses affecting performance or safety).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill adds a new section (2224b) to Chapter 131 of Title 10, United States Code, after section 2224a. This creates a mandatory, structured reporting framework for AI issues where none previously existed in this title, emphasizing lessons learned and risk mitigation without altering prior statutes on AI or defense operations.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The Department of Defense would need to designate an official to manage the program, integrate it into existing processes, and allocate resources for analysis and responses, potentially improving oversight of AI systems.
- On Citizens: Military personnel and contractors gain protected channels for reporting concerns, which could enhance overall system safety in operations involving AI.
- On International Relations: Indirect effects may arise from improved reliability of U.S. military AI systems, though the bill focuses solely on domestic Department processes.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- The Department of Defense and its components.
- Members of the Armed Forces, civilian employees, and contractors/subcontractors.
- Congressional defense committees, which receive annual reports.
- Broader defense community involved in AI development and deployment.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The legislation operates under Congress's authority to regulate the armed forces and national defense. It promotes accountability through required reporting and non-retaliation protections but does not introduce new constitutional challenges or alter existing legal frameworks for classified information or personnel actions.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1], Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]
Recent Actions
- 2026-08-31: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
- 2026-08-31: Introduced in House
- 2026-08-31: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Defense AI Reliability and Reporting Act — issued 2026-08-31 — PDF (7 pages)