• The US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance the AI Overwatch Act, granting Congress authority over AI chip exports.
• The bill allows Congress to block licenses for AI chip exports to China and other adversaries.
• Critics, including White House AI advisor David Sacks, have pushed back against the legislation.
• The bill reflects bipartisan concern regarding advanced technology access for adversarial nations.
• It comes in light of previous approvals for AI chip sales to China by former President Donald Trump.

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has advanced the "AI Overwatch Act," which would grant Congress significant authority over the export of advanced AI chips. This legislation, championed by Representative Brian Mast of Florida, is a response to a decision by former President Donald Trump to allow shipments of Nvidia’s powerful H200 AI chips to China. The bill would give the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Banking Committee 30 days to review and potentially block licenses for these exports to China and others deemed hostile, including Russia, Iran, and North Korea, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The AI Overwatch Act is positioned as essential for national security, with Mast stating, "These advanced chips need to fall under the same oversight as any other military-related system." He argues that granting Congress this oversight will positively impact America's stance in the "AI arms race." The act comes alongside growing fears about China's advancements in AI technology and military applications of Western chips, according to South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera.