Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3679) to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop resources for small businesses in utilizing artificial intelligence, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3679
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act''. SEC. 2. RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO UTILIZE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
Section 22A of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278h-1) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (i); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following new subsection:
``(h) Development of Resources for Small Businesses in Utilizing Artificial Intelligence.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Director shall, in carrying out subsection (a), develop or identify, and disseminate (in accordance with paragraph (4)), resources for small business concerns (as such term is defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) relating to artificial intelligence. Such resources may include technical standards, best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, or processes for the understanding, adoption, or integration of artificial intelligence.
``(2) Requirements.--The Director shall ensure that the resources described in paragraph (1) satisfy the following:
``(A) Are generally applicable and usable by a wide range of small business concerns.
``(B) Include elements that promote basic understanding, identification, and adoption of proper use cases of artificial intelligence.
``(C) Include case studies of practical application across a range of business sizes and types.
``(D) Are technology-neutral and relevant to technologies that are accessible and suitable for small businesses.
``(E) Are based on international voluntary standards as applicable, and are consistent with the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.).
``(F) Include recommendations and references to existing Federal educational resources, including the risk management framework under subsection (c), privacy and cybersecurity risk management frameworks established by the Institute, and activities relating to the national cybersecurity awareness and education program under section 303 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 7443).
``(3) Review and update of resources.--Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this subsection and not less frequently than once every two years thereafter, the Director shall carry out the following:
``(A) Review the resources described in paragraph (1).
``(B) Update such resources as the Director considers appropriate.
``(4) Dissemination and use of training resources.--The Director shall coordinate with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration regarding the distribution and use through the resource partners of the Small Business Administration of the resources described in paragraph (1).
``(5) Voluntary resources.--The use of the resources described in paragraph (1) shall be considered voluntary.
``(6) Report.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than four years after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Director shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the development, identification, dissemination, and use of the resources described in paragraph (1), including updates made pursuant to paragraph (3).
``(B) Contents.--The report under subparagraph (A) shall include the following:
``(i) A list of the resources described in paragraph (1), including updates made pursuant to paragraph (3).
``(ii) Relevant feedback from recipients of such resources, and disseminators of such resources pursuant to paragraph (4).
``(iii) Recommendations to Congress for further actions to help with the utilization of artificial intelligence by small business concerns.''.
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Mr. BABIN. 3679, the bill that is now under consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here to support H.R. 3679, the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act, sponsored by my colleagues, Representatives Mike Collins and Haley Stevens.
American small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and it is essential that they leverage cutting-edge innovations to keep the United States at the forefront of the global economy.
As chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I have closely followed the accelerating growth of artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies and their wide-ranging applications across industries nationwide.
Major U.S. companies are rapidly developing their own AI technologies and investing in the resources needed to integrate AI into their operations. AI holds tremendous promise. Incorporating it into a business model is complex and requires significant expertise and capital.
As a result, many small businesses have not yet been able to fully unlock AI's potential. It is time to ensure small businesses can harness these capabilities as well, strengthening American entrepreneurship and competing with the Chinese Communist Party across every dimension of the AI race, including business innovation.
This legislation directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, to develop and share practical resources to help small businesses better understand and adopt artificial intelligence technologies.
This bill is a bipartisan effort to ensure American businesses remain competitive in the AI race and to reinforce our economic leadership globally.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Collins and Stevens for their work on this very important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3679, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, the time to use artificial intelligence in business is now, and we must do everything we can to support small business efforts to harness the power of this technology. The National Institute of Standards and Technology can greatly help American small businesses understand and adopt AI to strengthen American businesses and our economy. H.R. 3679 will eliminate roadblocks to and increase implementation of AI.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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