Warner Rolls Out Comprehensive AI Legislative Agenda Focused on Responsible Innovation, Workers, and National Security

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and one of Congress’s leading voices on artificial intelligence policy, unveiled “ A Framework for America’s AI Future ,” a comprehensive legislative agenda to establish the rules of the road for artificial intelligence and ensure the United States leads the world in developing AI responsibly. The legislative package reflects years of Warner’s work examining artificial intelligence’s impact on the economy, national security, competition, and American workers. Together, the bills would address four key priorities: building AI infrastructure responsibly ; promoting competition and safety ; preparing workers for economic disruption and technological change ; and strengthening America’s national security advantage . “Artificial intelligence will reshape nearly every aspect of our economy and society. The only question is whether Congress is going to help shape that future or spend the next decade scrambling to catch up,” said Sen. Warner . “America doesn’t have to choose between leading in AI and putting commonsense rules of the road in place. In fact, our leadership depends on getting this right. We need policies that encourage innovation while protecting consumers, strengthening competition, preparing our workforce, and ensuring AI advances America’s national security, not undermines it.” Building the Infrastructure for America’s AI Future As the rapid expansion of AI data centers places increasing demands on local communities, electricity grids, and water resources, Sen. Warner is introducing legislation to ensure greater transparency and accountability from the companies building this infrastructure. The Data Center Tax Accountability and Disclosure Act would require large AI data centers to publicly disclose key information about their energy and water consumption, emissions, backup generation, and other operational impacts – providing communities, local policymakers, and consumers with the information they need to understand and plan for these facilities. The legislation would also reform the federal tax treatment of AI data centers by conditioning the federal bonus depreciation, a valuable tax benefit, on meeting strong efficiency and sustainability standards. Read the full bill here . This new legislation is supported by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Sierra Club, and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. Promoting Competition, Safety, and Consumer Trust To ensure AI develops in competitive, trustworthy markets, Sen. Warner is introducing the Artificial Intelligence Access, Gatekeeper Exchange, and Nondiscriminatory Transfer Act , or AI AGENT Act , legislation establishing rights and responsibilities for consumer-facing AI agents. The bill would create a framework allowing trusted AI agents to securely access major online platforms while requiring them to act in the best interests of users, protect sensitive personal information, and meet privacy and cybersecurity standards. It also directs NIST to develop technical standards and creates an FTC registry for trusted AI agents. Read the full bill here . Recognizing AI’s potential for abuse, Warner today announced legislation to combat AI-generated child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate images. The Safeguarding Against Fabricated Exploitation Through Artificial Intelligence (SAFE AI) Act would establish a National Institute of Standards and Technology-led testing and verification process for AI models, prohibit federal agencies from procuring AI systems capable of generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or non-consensual intimate images (NCII), prohibit software designed to circumvent AI safety controls, and create a private right of action for survivors whose likeness is used to generate AI-produced CSAM. Read the full bill here . In the coming weeks, Sen. Warner also plans to reintroduce the Financial Artificial Intelligence Risk Reduction Act , bipartisan legislation to require financial regulators to address uses of AI-generated content that could disrupt financial markets. Preparing America’s Workforce for the Economy of the Future Sen. Warner is introducing the National Workforce Transition Fund , a proposal to ensure workers – not just big corporations – benefit from the AI revolution. The legislation would dedicate revenue generated by limiting bonus depreciation for AI data center infrastructure to a National Workforce Transition Fund supporting worker retraining, individual workforce training accounts, employer retention and redeployment grants, tuition assistance for high-demand fields, workforce data modernization, and innovative pilot programs to help workers navigate technological disruption. Read the full bill here . This new legislation is endorsed by Veronica Goodman, Senior Director for Workforce Development Policy at the Center for American Progress and Shalin Jyotishi, Founder & Director of the Future of Work & Innovation Economy Initiative at New America and a Visiting Scholar at Arizona State University. Today, the senator also announced the Promoting High-skilled Doctoral (PHD) Talent Act, legislation to expand America’s pipeline of homegrown STEM talent by helping universities create accelerated pathways from undergraduate education to Ph.D. programs in critical technology fields, expanding the domestic pipeline of researchers and innovators in AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum computing, and other technologies essential to America’s future. Read the full bill here . This new legislation is endorsed by Tim Sands, President of Virginia Tech;  Sean Hearne, President and CEO of the Southeastern Universities Research Association; Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem, Marta E. Gross Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Education, College of Engineering, Purdue University; and Lori McMahon, Vice President for Research, University of Virginia. These proposals build on Sen. Warner’s broader effort to ensure America is prepared for the economic transformation driven by artificial intelligence. Earlier this Congress, Warner joined Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) in introducing bipartisan legislation to establish an Economy of the Future Commission, which would develop a long-term national strategy for AI and other emerging technologies. He also partnered with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on bipartisan legislation to improve the federal government’s ability to measure AI’s impact on jobs, wages, hiring, and the broader workforce – giving policymakers better tools to understand technological disruption as it happens. In addition, Warner introduced the Investing in American Workers Act , which would create a tax credit to encourage employers to invest in high-quality worker training and help Americans gain the skills needed to adapt and succeed as AI transforms the economy. Strengthening America’s National Security Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of America’s national security, shaping everything from cybersecurity and intelligence to military readiness and technological competition with China. To help ensure the United States remains the global leader in secure and trustworthy AI, Sen. Warner is introducing legislation to strengthen the security of frontier AI models and protect the broader AI ecosystem from foreign adversaries and malicious actors. The Secure AI Development Act would establish a mandatory secure testing environment for the nation’s most advanced AI models before deployment, modernize the federal government’s processes for identifying and disclosing AI-related cybersecurity vulnerabilities, improve information sharing between government and AI developers, and create a voluntary AI safety incident reporting system modeled after the aviation industry’s safety reporting framework. The bill would also strengthen protections against efforts by foreign adversaries to exploit, steal, or compromise U.S.-developed AI technologies and supply chains. Read the full bill here . Read more about the “Framework for America’s AI Future,” including detailed summaries of the new bills, here . Read statements of support here . ###