Looking for a new hobby? How about delving into Artificial Intelligence?
The House AI Caucus thinks that would be a great idea. And it has introduced the “Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023” (CREATE AI Act) to help make it so.
A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate.
The bill, sponsored by Representatives Eshoo (D-CA), McCaul (R-TX), Beyer (D-VA), and Obernolte (D-CA), the co-chairs and vice-chairs of the House Artificial Intelligence Caucus, would establish the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR).
“AI offers incredible possibilities for our country, but access to the high-powered computational tools needed to conduct AI research is limited to only a few large technology companies. By establishing the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), my bipartisan CREATE AI Act provides researchers from universities, nonprofits, and government with the powerful tools necessary to develop cutting-edge AI systems that are safe, ethical, transparent, and inclusive. Diversifying and expanding access to AI systems is crucial to maintain American leadership in frontier AI that will bolster our national security, enhance our economic competitiveness, and spur groundbreaking scientific research that benefits the public good,” said Rep. Eshoo.
The NAIRR, run by NSF and overseen by an interagency steering committee, would provide, “free or low-cost access to datasets and computing resources for development of AI workflows,” helping to democratize the development and use of artificial intelligence.
The NAIRR has four primary goals:
- Spur innovation and advance the development of safe, reliable, and trustworthy AI research and development.
- Improve access to AI resources for researchers and students, including groups typically underrepresented in STEM.
- Improve capacity for AI research in the United States.
- Support the testing, benchmarking, and evaluation of AI systems developed and deployed in the United States.
Appropriations for the NAIRR would occur through the normal annual appropriations process. NSF would be the primary entity for appropriations and would fund the NAIRR through the $1 billion per year authorized to NSF under the National AI Initiative Act.
According to a Government Policy Blog posted by the Computing Research Association, the CREATE AI Act is the most likely of all the current AI bills to be passed into law. In theory, it could move as the piece of a larger, must-pass legislation. But given all the current budget wrangling going on in Congress, the prospects for any scientific funding remain problematic.