January 14, 2026
Mr. Baumgartner (for himself, Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona, Ms. Salazar, and Mr. Ezell) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
To require the Secretary of State to conduct assessments of the risks posed to the United States by foreign adversaries who utilize generative artificial intelligence for malicious activities, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Foreign Adversary AI Risk Assessment and Diplomacy Act
.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
while generative artificial intelligence has the potential to provide substantial societal and economic benefits when developed and used responsibly, the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence by foreign adversaries may represent a national security risk, and the challenges posed by such use is not well understood; and
(2)
the Department of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, must take diplomatic steps to recognize, assess, and address the use of generative artificial intelligence by foreign adversaries, including through bilateral and multilateral engagements and the promotion of responsible state behavior in international fora, to reduce the national security risks to the United States.
Sec. 3. Assessments of the risks posed to the United States by foreign adversaries who utilize generative artificial intelligence for malicious activities
(a) In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for three years, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies as appropriate shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an assessment of the risks posed to the United States by foreign adversaries who utilize generative artificial intelligence for malicious activities.
(b) Contents
Each assessment under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1)
An analysis of incidents during the preceding calendar year in which foreign adversaries have utilized, or attempted to utilize, generative artificial intelligence for malicious activities against the United States and its allies, including the following:
(A)
To disseminate or produce synthetic media, including foreign anti-United States propaganda or conduct foreign malign influence operations targeting the United States, its citizens, or its allies.
(B)
To enhance their ability to develop or deploy chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons.
(C)
To facilitate malicious cyber operations.
(D)
To develop or enhance other military, surveillance, or intelligence capabilities.
(2)
An analysis of emerging trends in the use of generative artificial intelligence by foreign adversaries, including the following:
(A)
The extent to which such activities may be attributable to specific foreign adversaries.
(B)
The implications of such trends for United States foreign policy, diplomatic engagement, and the development of United States and allied-led international norms and standards.
(3)
Recommendations to mitigate and counter the risks posed to the United States and allies by foreign adversaries who utilize generative artificial intelligence applications for malicious activities.
(c) Form
Each assessment under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex only for the protection of intelligence sources and methods relating to the matters contained in the assessment. The Secretary of State shall post on a publicly available website of the Department of State the unclassified portion of each assessment.
Sec. 4. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees
The term appropriate congressional committees means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(2) Artificial intelligence
The term artificial intelligence has the meaning given such term in section 5002(3) of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401(3)).
(3) Foreign adversary
The term foreign adversary has the meaning given the term covered nation in section 4872(f) of title 10, United States Code.
(4) Generative artificial intelligence applications
The term generative artificial intelligence applications means the class of artificial intelligence models that emulate the structure and characteristics of input data in order to generate derived synthetic content, including images, videos, audio, text, and other digital content.