Sec. 5201. National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes
895 words·~4 min read·
/bill/116/hr/6395/pcs/section-5201·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
As part of the Initiative, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a program to award financial assistance for the planning, establishment, and support of Institutes (as described in subsection (b)(2)) in accordance with this section. Under the Initiative, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Commerce, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and every other agency head may award financial assistance to an eligible entity, or consortia thereof, as determined by an agency head, to establish and support an Institute.
An Institute described in this subsection is an artificial intelligence research institute that— is focused on— a particular economic or social sector, including health, education, manufacturing, agriculture, security, energy, and environment, and includes a component that addresses the ethical, societal, safety, and security implications relevant to the application of artificial intelligence in that sector; or a cross-cutting challenge for artificial intelligence systems, including trustworthiness, or foundational science; requires partnership among public and private organizations, including, as appropriate, Federal agencies, research universities, community colleges, nonprofit research organizations, Federal laboratories, State, local, and tribal governments, and industry (or consortia thereof); has the potential to create an innovation ecosystem, or enhance existing ecosystems, to translate Institute research into applications and products, as appropriate to the topic of each Institute; supports interdisciplinary research and development across multiple institutions and organizations involved in artificial intelligence research and related disciplines, including physics, engineering, mathematical sciences, computer and information science, robotics, biological and cognitive sciences, material science, social and behavioral sciences, cybersecurity, and technology ethics; supports interdisciplinary education activities, including curriculum development, research experiences, and faculty professional development across two-year, undergraduates, masters, and doctoral level programs; and supports workforce development in artificial intelligence related disciplines in the United States, including broadening participation of underrepresented communities.
Financial assistance awarded under paragraph
(1)may be used by an Institute for— managing and making available to researchers accessible, curated, standardized, secure, and privacy protected data sets from the public and private sectors for the purposes of training and testing artificial intelligence systems and for research using artificial intelligence systems, pursuant to section 5301(b) and 5301(c); developing and managing testbeds for artificial intelligence systems, including sector-specific test beds, designed to enable users to evaluate artificial intelligence systems prior to deployment; conducting research and education activities involving artificial intelligence systems to solve challenges with social, economic, health, scientific, and national security implications; providing or brokering access to computing resources, networking, and data facilities for artificial intelligence research and development relevant to the Institute’s research goals; providing technical assistance to users, including software engineering support, for artificial intelligence research and development relevant to the Institute’s research goals; engaging in outreach and engagement to broaden participation in artificial intelligence research and workforce; and such other activities that an agency head, whose agency’s missions contribute to or are affected by artificial intelligence, considers consistent with the purposes described in section 5101(a). An award of financial assistance under paragraph
(1)shall be awarded for an initial period of 5 years. An established Institute may apply for, and the agency head may grant, extended funding for periods of 5 years on a merit-reviewed basis using the merit review criteria of the sponsoring agency. A person or group of persons seeking financial assistance under paragraph
(1)shall submit to an agency head an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the agency head may require. An application submitted under subparagraph
(A)for an Institute shall, at a minimum, include the following: A plan for the Institute to include— the proposed goals and activities of the Institute; how the Institute will form partnerships with other research institutions, industry, and nonprofits to leverage expertise in artificial intelligence and access to data, including non-governmental data and computing resources; how the institute will support long-term and short-term education and workforce development in artificial intelligence, including broadening participation of underrepresented communities; and a plan for how the Institute will transition from planning into operations. A description of the anticipated sources and nature of any non-Federal contributions, including privately held data sets, computing resources, and other types of in-kind support. A description of the anticipated long-term impact of such Institute. In awarding financial assistance under paragraph (1), the agency head shall— use a competitive, merit review process that includes peer review by a diverse group of individuals with relevant expertise from both the private and public sectors; and ensure the focus areas of the Institute do not substantially duplicate the efforts of any other Institute. In awarding financial assistance under paragraph (1), an agency head may collaborate with Federal departments and agencies whose missions contribute to or are affected by artificial intelligence systems, including the agencies outlined in section 5103(c). The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a network of Institutes receiving financial assistance under this subsection, to be known as the Artificial Intelligence Leadership Network , to coordinate cross-cutting research and other activities carried out by the Institutes. The head of an agency may request, accept, and provide funds from other Federal departments and agencies, State, United States territory, local, or tribal government agencies, private sector for-profit entities, and nonprofit entities, to be available to the extent provided by appropriations Acts, to support an Institute’s activities. The head of an agency may not give any special consideration to any agency or entity in return for a donation.