Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 1736
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Passed House
- Latest Action
- 2025-11-20: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-09T13:27:22Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act aims to address national security risks from foreign terrorist organizations using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for terrorist activities. It requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to evaluate these threats annually and share relevant information to better protect the United States.
Key Provisions
- Sense of Congress: Expresses concern that generative AI tools used by foreign terrorist groups pose an emerging threat, particularly for spreading extremist messages and developing weapons. It urges DHS, in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), to study and mitigate these risks.
- Annual Assessments:
- DHS must submit a report to specific congressional committees within one year of enactment and annually for five years, in consultation with ODNI.
- Each report analyzes incidents from the prior year where generative AI was used or attempted for:
- Spreading violent extremist messages, radicalizing, or recruiting individuals.
- Developing or deploying chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons.
- Includes recommendations for countermeasures.
- Assessments must respect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties laws; can draw from existing DHS resources.
- Submitted in unclassified form (with optional classified annex); unclassified parts posted publicly on DHS's website, excluding sensitive information under laws like the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- DHS provides briefings to Congress within 30 days, potentially including other federal agencies.
- Information Sharing:
- DHS reviews terrorism-related generative AI threat data from state, local, and urban fusion centers (which are hubs for sharing security intelligence) and the National Network of Fusion Centers.
- DHS incorporates this data into its own analyses and shares it back with these centers.
- Requires coordination and data sharing from ODNI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the intelligence community (IC), and other relevant federal agencies.
- Definitions: Clarifies terms like "generative artificial intelligence" (AI models that create synthetic content such as text, images, or videos based on input data), "foreign terrorist organization" (groups designated under U.S. immigration law), and "terrorism" (as defined in the Homeland Security Act).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This act introduces new mandatory requirements for DHS to conduct and report on generative AI-related terrorism threats, which were not previously specified in law. It builds on existing frameworks like the Homeland Security Act and National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act by adding targeted assessments and enhanced information sharing among fusion centers and federal agencies, without directly amending prior statutes.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases workload for DHS and ODNI in producing reports and briefings; promotes better coordination across the FBI, IC, and fusion centers, potentially improving threat detection and response efficiency.
- Citizens: Could enhance public safety by identifying and countering AI-enabled terrorism risks, such as online radicalization, while ensuring public access to non-sensitive assessment summaries to build awareness.
- International Relations: Focuses on foreign terrorist organizations, which may indirectly influence U.S. diplomacy and counterterrorism efforts abroad by highlighting AI's role in global threats, though it does not directly affect foreign policy.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Agencies: DHS (leads assessments and sharing), ODNI, FBI, and broader IC (provide data and coordination).
- Congressional Committees: House and Senate panels on homeland security, intelligence, energy/commerce, and governmental affairs (receive reports and briefings).
- State and Local Entities: Fusion centers and the National Network of Fusion Centers (contribute and receive threat intelligence).
- Public and Security Community: Indirectly benefits citizens and law enforcement through improved threat awareness and countermeasures.
- Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Targeted for monitoring, potentially facing increased U.S. scrutiny of their AI use.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Emphasizes compliance with privacy and civil liberties protections during assessments and data sharing, aligning with FOIA and other transparency laws to balance security with openness. Public posting of unclassified reports promotes accountability without compromising sensitive details.
- Constitutional: Supports First Amendment considerations by focusing on foreign threats rather than domestic speech, while safeguarding civil rights in intelligence activities.
- Political: Signals growing bipartisan concern over AI's dual-use potential in terrorism, fostering interagency collaboration and congressional oversight. The five-year limit on assessments may prompt future extensions based on evolving threats, influencing national security policy debates.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11]
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3], Rep. Evans, Gabe [R-CO-8], Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large]
Recent Actions
- 2025-11-20: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2025-11-19: The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
- 2025-11-19: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- 2025-11-19: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4783-4784)
- 2025-11-19: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4783-4784)
- 2025-11-19: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1736.
- 2025-11-19: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4783-4785)
- 2025-11-19: Mr. Guest moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- 2025-11-12: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 324.
- 2025-11-12: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 119-373.
- 2025-11-12: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 119-373.
- 2025-09-03: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 21 - 0.
- 2025-09-03: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2025-03-25: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2025-03-25: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Bill Versions
- Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act — issued 2025-11-19 — PDF (10 pages)
- Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act — issued 2025-02-27 — PDF (7 pages)
- Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act — issued 2025-11-20 — PDF (8 pages)
- Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act — issued 2025-11-12 — PDF (10 pages)