A bill to establish requirements for human judgment in the use of force by autonomous weapon systems used by the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Sen. Kelly Introduces Bill to Require Human Control Over AI Weapons
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Armed Services. It was recently introduced and referred to this committee for further study. There are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
AI safety is a growing concern for both parties, but major defense changes often take years to pass or must be added to larger yearly funding bills.
Key Points
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
DoD civilian employees, particularly those in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, would take on significant new responsibilities. A new Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Office would be created, requiring staffing and leadership. Employees in testing, evaluation, and policy roles would need to develop new standards, conduct certifications, and manage the incident repository, representing a meaningful expansion of their work.
“The Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Office of the Secretary of Defense an office to be known as the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Office”
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesCongress to Consider Restricting How the Military Uses A.I.
Lawmakers are weighing new statutory requirements to ensure 'meaningful human judgment' in the use of autonomous weapons. The proposal from Sen. Mark Kelly would codify safety protocols and create a department-wide database to track unintended AI behaviors and system failures.

New bill aims to regulate military uses of AI
Senators are introducing legislation to establish 'rules of the road' for military AI. The measures would require senior-level sign-off for high-consequence autonomous actions and establish rigorous testing standards to ensure systems remain reliable under cyberattack or jamming.
Schiff Introduces Human Authority in Lethal Operations Act
Rep. Adam Schiff and Sen. Mark Kelly are leading a legislative push to ensure humans remain in the loop for AI-enabled weapons. Kelly's bill specifically targets the need for red-team testing and a centralized database to track system failures, drawing inspiration from aviation safety models.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
A bill to establish requirements for human judgment in the use of force by autonomous weapon systems used by the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.