AICT Act of 2021

Artificial Intelligence Capabilities and Transparency Act of 2021 or the AICT Act of 2021

This bill addresses artificial intelligence capabilities related to national defense and security.

The bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to designate a chief digital recruiting officer within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to oversee a digital recruiting office. The office must be responsible for (1) identifying DOD needs for specific types of digital talent, (2) recruiting technologists, (3) integrating federal scholarship for service programs into DOD civilian recruiting, and (4) partnering with human resource teams in the military services and DOD components to use direct-hire authorities to accelerate hiring. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Energy must also designate chief digital recruiting officers to be responsible for the same objectives in those departments.

DOD must carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of establishing the Artificial Intelligence Development and Prototyping Fund.

DOD must plan for the development of a modern digital ecosystem to enable development, testing, fielding, and continuous update of artificial intelligence-powered applications at speed and scale from headquarters to the tactical edge.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology within the Department of Commerce must establish a program to provide accreditation to organizations that are determined to be competent at evaluating the specified effects of artificial intelligence systems used by persons in DOD, an element of the intelligence community, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.