Peoria Standard

Representative Darin LaHood of Illinois' 16th Congressional District has announced that the bipartisan No Adversarial AI Act is gaining support in both the House and Senate. The legislation aims to restrict access by the Chinese Communist Party to U.S. technology.

"The authoritarian CCP is engaged in a high-priority, coordinated AI campaign," said LaHood, U.S. Representative of Illinois's 16th congressional district (R), according to Facebook. "I'm proud to join my colleagues in introducing the No Adversarial AI Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill constrains the CCP's access to sensitive U.S. government information."

The bill, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeks to prevent executive agencies from utilizing artificial intelligence models developed in China. According to a Reuters report shared by LaHood on Facebook, Representatives John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi sponsored the bill. It would prohibit U.S. executive agencies from using AI models originating from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The Federal Acquisition Security Council would be tasked with maintaining and regularly updating a list of AI models from these countries, with federal agencies required to obtain exemptions for their use or purchase.

Screenshot of U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood's June 26 Facebook post | U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood's Facebook page

Following a June 25 hearing by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, a press release was issued highlighting that the No Adversarial AI Act includes a delisting process for companies proving independence from foreign adversaries’ control or influence. "We are in a new Cold War—and AI is the strategic technology at the center," said Moolenaar in a news release from the Select Committee on the CCP. He further said that "the CCP doesn’t innovate—it steals, scales, and subverts," emphasizing concerns over intellectual property theft and other activities.

LaHood has served as a representative since 2015, initially representing Illinois' 18th Congressional District before redistricting placed him in the 16th District. His political career includes four years in the state senate and more than nine years as a state and federal prosecutor. He holds degrees from Loras College and the University of Illinois-Chicago John Marshall Law School.