To amend title 10, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the use of autonomous weapons systems and artificial intelligence-enabled systems by the Armed Forces is subject to appropriate levels of human command responsibility, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · July 16, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
The Human Authority over Autonomous Weapons Act of 2026 requires the Department of Defense to ensure that all military use of autonomous weapons systems and artificial intelligence-enabled weapons remains under human command and control. Specifically, the law directs the Secretary of Defense to establish procedures that identify which human commanders or operators are responsible for authorizing and overseeing any lethal autonomous weapons use, require human approval before such systems are used to intentionally kill, and mandate that targets be verified using non-AI sources during a five-year period after the law takes effect. The law does not apply to defensive missile systems designed to intercept incoming weapons. The Secretary of Defense must submit a report to Congress within one year of the law's enactment describing the procedures implemented and detailing how often the new human oversight requirements have prevented or delayed military operations.
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