Draft Defense Spending Bill Seeks to Leverage AI for Military Purposes
Senator John Reed (D-RI) has introduced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, the annual bill that authorizes defense-related spending. The draft would allocate roughly $144 billion for science and technology research, with an emphasis on AI and quantum R&D. It would also create pilot projects to use AI for biotechnological applications for national security and for defense manufacturing facilities. Finally, the draft NDAA would direct DOD to determine whether it should establish an AI-enabled weapon systems center and create a working group under the U.S. Cyber Command to coordinate AI cooperation in cyberspace with allies and partners.
Russia Announces Partnership With BRICS Countries to Compete in AI Development
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is partnering with countries from BRICS—an intergovernmental organization of nine countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China—to launch the AI Network Alliance to facilitate joint research and market access for AI. The initiative is an effort to compete with the United States and Western countries in the global AI race. Western sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine have severely restricted the country’s ability to access hardware and software necessary for AI development.
