New Bill Would Give Critical Infrastructure Operators Free Access to AI Cyber Defence Tools

Rep. Josh Gottheimer has introduced the AI Cyber Defense Act, a bipartisan bill prompted by a series of recent cyberattacks on water facilities. The legislation would direct the Department of Homeland Security, through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to establish a program allowing critical infrastructure owners and operators to securely use AI tools to protect against, detect, test for, and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

The bill has support from both Democratic and Republican co-sponsors and would authorise USD 100 million in funding for the program between 2027 and 2031, though Congress would still need to approve the actual budget. This proposal follows a similar, but separate, AI and water-security pilot program recently launched by the Office of the National Cyber Director in Texas, which has been criticised for relying on voluntary private sector participation without dedicated funding.

The push for AI-assisted cybersecurity tools comes amid growing concern over attacks targeting water utilities and other critical infrastructure, sectors often under-resourced when it comes to cybersecurity defences. Whether this bill becomes law will depend on future appropriations, especially given recent cuts to CISA's budget.