Senators Propose $2 Billion Investment in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be a top national priority with the recent introduction of the Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act. The legislation, introduced by Senators Rob Portman )R-OH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) calls for the creation of a national AI strategy, along with a $2 billion investment in technology advancement over the next five years. The overall goal of the legislation is to help the U.S. maintain its AI hegemony over rival technologically competitive countries such as China.

“China’s emergence in the AI space poses a grave danger to an ethical, global adoption of standards, and uses of these technologies,” Sen. Heinrich recently said. “We simply cannot allow this type of unethical use of technologies to proliferate around the globe. That’s what will happen if we don’t step up our efforts here domestically.”

Among the bill’s provisions, it grants the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) $40 million/year from 2020-2024 to develop guidelines on how to assess the effectiveness of algorithms and quality of training data. The bill also calls for the creation of a National AI Coordination Office tasked with overseeing the federal government’s AI efforts. Two separate advisory committees, one comprised of federal agency leaders and one comprised of non-government technology experts are also directed to support the AI Coordination Office in its management efforts.

To view the legislation in full, click here: https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/download/artificial-intelligence-ia_05212019