WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted Artificial Intelligence (TEST) AI Act of 2025.

This legislation would improve the federal government’s ability to test and evaluate Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to drive innovation, protect national security, and build trust in these technologies.

“While AI offers an opportunity to revolutionize American research and innovation, we must be cognizant of bad actors and potential threats to privacy and national security,” said Risch. “The Idaho National Laboratory is already a leader in AI, national security, and cybersecurity, and the TEST AI Act will use the National Labs’ capabilities to establish safeguards to prevent misuse of this growing technology.”

“AI has reached every sector in our country and driven innovation, but we cannot ignore the vulnerabilities and risks that come with it. While these systems have the power to change lives, they can also fall short – providing inaccurate or biased data – and are at risk of malicious attacks or misuse by our adversaries,” said Luján. “The TEST AI Actaddresses these shortcomings by creating government testbeds to better evaluate AI systems. This will help leverage the talent of our National Laboratories and strengthen the federal government’s ability to implement responsible guardrails that protect our national security and the American people.”

Risch and Luján were joined by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Peter Welch (D-V.T.) in introducing the TEST AI Act.

The TEST AI Act directs the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) to collaborate with the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a testbed pilot program to develop and refine standards for evaluating AI systems. By laying the groundwork for broader national evaluation standards through a transparent and collaborative approach, the TEST AI Act would ensure that AI systems used by federal agencies are trustworthy, secure, and objective.

The TEST AI Act would:

• Codify collaboration between NIST and DOE to evaluate AI models;

• Improve public-private partnerships through an AI Testing Working Group to develop standards for performance, reliability, security, privacy, and bias; and  

• Create a public strategy for testing and the construction of testbeds, and a report to Congress on the results and recommendations for future standards development.

Senators Risch, Luján, Blackburn, and Durbin co-lead the Senate National Labs Caucus, which identifies legislative opportunities to elevate the National Labs’ visibility and meet national energy and security objectives while solidifying U.S. leadership in critical scientific sectors. ?