Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Use of Artificial Intelligence Introduced

Congressmen Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Tom Reed (R-NY) recently introduced legislation to strengthen U.S. leadership in Artificial Intelligence. The Growing Artificial Intelligence through Research (GrAITR) Act, seeks to establish a coordinated federal initiative that will bolster AI research and development that will support both economic and national security. The legislation also provides a road map for funneling U.S. research into AI technology.

“Right now, we are in a race to build effective AI that can be developed and used here in America,” Lipinski said. “Investment in AI is critical as we embrace new technologies like autonomous cars, algorithms for disease diagnosis, and speech recognition. We already have some of the best scientists and engineers in the world working to come up with better algorithms to power AI devices, but we need a long term, coordinated plan with a commitment of the necessary resources. This legislation helps us get there.”

The GrAITR Act calls for a $1.6 billion investment over 10 years into U.S. R&D, and the application of AI across the public and private sectors, as well as academia. Among the agencies pulled into coordinated efforts are:

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which would create standards to evaluate the algorithms behind AI-enabled technology;
• Department of Energy (DOE), which would use its national laboratories to build next-generation computing systems to help AI learn faster from ever-larger datasets; and
• National Science Foundation (NSF), which would fund multidisciplinary research centers to study the basic science of AI and its effects on our society. The NSF will also develop AI education programs for students young and old at every career stage, including retirees.

To view the text of the bill in full, click here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2202