# NSA tells lawmakers it is spending billions to test AI models

Digest AI · Policy & Regulation · published 2026-09-24T17:40:01Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/nsa-tells-lawmakers-it-is-spending-billions-to-test-ai-models

## Summary

The National Security Agency informed lawmakers that it is spending billions of dollars in taxpayer funds this year to evaluate and test advanced artificial intelligence models, according to two sources familiar with classified estimates. This expenditure is significantly higher than previously known figures and has led some lawmakers to believe that a comprehensive federal AI regulatory system could cost tens of billions of dollars annually. The NSA’s Artificial Intelligence Security Center began these tests after a series of high-profile hacking incidents to identify national security vulnerabilities in frontier models.

This high cost is intensifying the debate over who should bear the financial burden of AI safety reviews. While President Donald Trump has largely resisted calls for greater federal oversight, the NSA's spending highlights the expense of in-house government evaluation. Estimates for prior regulatory proposals, such as the AI Security and Innovation Act, were far lower, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating costs of roughly $20 million per year for a new center on AI risks. A separate House bill for AI reporting and tracking was estimated at $36 million over five years.

The primary costs for the NSA include purchasing expensive computing power to run models and hiring top AI engineers, whose salaries in the private sector can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Some experts and tech leaders, including Elon Musk, suggest that frontier labs should review each other’s models or pay for independent audits to avoid placing the financial burden on taxpayers. Anthropic and OpenAI have indicated they may be open to paying for greater federal oversight.

## Key points

- NSA told lawmakers it is spending billions this year to test advanced AI models.
- Lawmakers believe a comprehensive AI regulatory system could cost tens of billions per year.
- CBO estimated the AI Security and Innovation Act would cost roughly $20 million per year.

## Why it matters

The high cost of government AI testing raises questions about funding models for safety oversight, potentially shifting financial burdens from taxpayers to AI companies or requiring industry self-regulation.

## Sources

1. [Sources: the NSA told lawmakers it is spending billions this year to test AI models; proposals for a US AI regulatory body estimated costs of $20M-$40M per year](https://washingtonsun.com/technology/classified-estimates-nsa-paying-billions-to-test-ai-models) (washingtonsun.com, 2026-09-24)

## Cite

Digest AI, "NSA tells lawmakers it is spending billions to test AI models", 24 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/nsa-tells-lawmakers-it-is-spending-billions-to-test-ai-models

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