Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
The National Science Foundation on Wednesday launched the National AI Research Resource pilot to encourage greater participation in the technology's development.
What's happening: The pilot program will last two years and provide computing power, data, software and training to researchers who will start by focusing on how to build trustworthy AI systems.
- Some resources, such as open data sets and models, will be automatically available on the NAIRR website.
- Others, such as access to computational systems, will require an application.
- NSF projects the pilot will be able to support 25-50 research projects to start.
Why it matters: AI research and development is highly concentrated and inaccessible.
- NAIRR is meant to increase competition and ensure AI is being developed responsibly.
- The Biden administration's AI executive order directed NSF to launch the NAIRR pilot, in part to support smaller businesses commercializing AI.
What they're saying: "We need resources to advance AI that are open to all so that every community across our nation may reap the benefits of AI," NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a call with reporters.
- "Therefore, a national AI research resource, simply put, has the potential to change the trajectory of our country's approach to AI."
Reality check: Establishing a fully functional NAIRR is yet another task piled onto an agency that is already grappling with funding constraints, and there's little appetite in Congress to spend more money.
- A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers last year introduced the CREATE AI Act to authorize NAIRR.
- The NAIRR Task Force recommends Congress appropriate $2.6 billion over six years to stand up NAIRR.
Big Tech players are contributing resources to the pilot, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM and Meta.
- Nvidia, Anthropic, OpenAI and AI2, the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence and other non-governmental entities are also contributing.
- 11 government agencies from DARPA to NIST to DOE are also contributing computational and data resources.
Of note: An external ethics advisory committee will be established to help vet the data set resources NAIRR is offering.
What's next: A broader set of resource opportunities expanding into specific areas such as environment, infrastructure and health care is expected in the spring.
