House Intelligence Committee Warns US Spy Agencies of Black Swan AI Risks Ahead of 9/11 Anniversary

House Intelligence Committee warns of 'Black Swan' AI risks

* The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence urged U.S. spy agencies to better prepare for "Black Swan" artificial intelligence risks in a new report. * The report warned that AI could be leveraged by terrorists or adversaries to develop more dangerous weapons and plot more deadly attacks. * The report, and warning about the destructive potential of AI, comes less than two weeks away from the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed thousands and remade U.S. security efforts. People walk by One World Trade, otherwise known as the Freedon Tower, which is located on the land where the Twin Towers once stood before they were destroyed in the attacks on September 11, 2001 on September 09, 2024 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence urged U.S. spy agencies to better prepare for "Black Swan" artificial intelligence risks, warning in a new report the technology could be leveraged by terrorists or adversaries to develop more dangerous weapons and plot more deadly attacks. "[T]he Committee believes the [intelligence community] and policymakers more broadly must carefully consider how to prevent AI tools from being leveraged for use by rogue actors, including terrorists," the report said. It was written to assess U.S. efforts over the past quarter century to address intelligence failures that led to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. "Preventing terrorist groups from developing access to equipment and expertise necessary to build and use weapons of mass destruction has been a significant point of emphasis for the IC and the national security establishment since 9/11," the report said. "Frontier large language models have the possibility of making it significantly easier for any rogue actor, including terrorists, to develop and conduct more destructive attacks." The report, and warning about the destructive potential of AI, comes less than two weeks away from the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed thousands and remade U.S. security efforts. At the same time, AI is rapidly advancing and driving immense economic activity -- leading lawmakers and officials to grapple with difficult questions over regulating the technology. Read more CNBC politics and policy coverage The report was authored by House Intelligence Chair Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and ranking member Jim Himes, D-Conn., along with Reps. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. They cautioned that existing safeguards may not be enough to keep up with AI's advances. "While AI labs seek to prevent models from returning information that could assist a bad actor in, for example, building a bioweapon, the underlying capability of models is developing rapidly and such a use of a model is difficult to fully control," the lawmakers wrote. The lawmakers urged the intelligence community to "accelerate its own responsible adoption of advanced AI capabilities so that the United States stays ahead of its adversaries." It also said investing in "secure AI tools for collection, analysis, and warning paired with rigorous testing, human oversight, and strong privacy and civil liberties protections" is critical to addressing the next generation of threats. The committee broadly found that the U.S. "faces a threat environment as complex and dangerous as any since September 11, 2001." "Serious gaps remain in our ability to confront and address these vulnerabilities. We are not adequately prepared to confront and address our vulnerabilities," the report read. Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.

House Intelligence Committee Warns Of AI Use In Terrorism Attacks

House Intelligence Committee Warns Of AI Use In Terrorism Attacks In a new report Monday, the House Intelligence Committee raised concerns about the uncharted terrorism threats posed by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence around the world. The committee warned the federal government may not fully understand AI capabilities as the most important data is held by private companies. The committee detailed its findings in a new report reviewing safety recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. "The committee believes the proliferation of advanced artificial intelligence models and the rapid advancement of this arena amplify existing risks, most prominently in the terrorism space," the report states. "Preventing terrorist groups from developing access to equipment and expertise necessary to build and use weapons of mass destruction has been a significant point of emphasis for the [intelligence community] and the national security establishment since 9/11," it continued. To thwart future AI terrorist attacks, the committee recommended considering how to keep AI out of the hands of bad actors and terrorists. "Investing in secure AI tools for collection, analysis, and warning paired with rigorous testing, human oversight, and strong privacy and civil liberties protections is essential to preparing the intelligence community for the next generation of threats," the report reads.