15 U.S.C. § 9431 — National Artificial Intelligence Research

Page 2592 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 9431 (f) Termination (1) In general The Task Force shall terminate 90 days after the date on which it submits the final report under subsection (e)(2). (2) Records Upon termination of the Task Force, all of its records shall become the records of the Na- tional Archives and Records Administration. (g) Definitions In this section: (1) National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource and Resource The terms ‘‘National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource’’ and ‘‘Resource’’ mean a system that provides researchers and students across scientific fields and disciplines with ac- cess to compute resources, co-located with publicly-available, artificial intelligence- ready government and non-government data sets and a research environment with appro- priate educational tools and user support. (2) Ownership The term ‘‘ownership’’ means responsibility and accountability for the implementation, deployment, and ongoing development of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Re- source, and for providing staff support to that effort. (Pub. L. 116–283, div. E, title LI, § 5106, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4531.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Enactment of this Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(B), means the enactment of Pub. L. 116–283, which was ap- proved Jan. 1, 2021. SUBCHAPTER II—NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTES § 9431. National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes (a) In general Subject to the availability of funds appro- priated for this purpose, the Director of the Na- tional Science Foundation shall establish a pro- gram to award financial assistance for the plan- ning, establishment, and support of a network of Institutes (as described in subsection (b)(2)) in accordance with this section. (b) Financial assistance to establish and support National Artificial Intelligence Research In- stitutes (1) In general Subject to the availability of funds appro- priated for this purpose, the Secretary of En- ergy, the Secretary of Commerce, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and every other agency head may award financial assist- ance to an eligible entity, or consortia there- of, as determined by an agency head, to estab- lish and support an Institute. (2) Artificial intelligence institutes An Institute described in this subsection is an artificial intelligence research institute that— (A) is focused on— (i) a particular economic or social sec- tor, including health, education, manufac- turing, 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 (ii) a cross-cutting challenge for artifi- cial intelligence systems, including trust- worthiness, or foundational science; (B) requires partnership among public and private organizations, including, as appro- priate, Federal agencies, institutions of higher education, including community col- leges, nonprofit research organizations, Fed- eral laboratories, State, local, and Tribal governments, industry, including startup companies, and civil society organizations, including civil rights and disability rights organizations (or consortia thereof); (C) has the potential to create an innova- tion ecosystem, or enhance existing eco- systems, to translate Institute research into applications and products, as appropriate to the topic of each Institute; (D) supports interdisciplinary research and development across multiple institutions of higher education and organizations; (E) supports interdisciplinary education activities, including curriculum develop- ment, research experiences, and faculty pro- fessional development across undergraduate, graduate, and professional academic pro- grams; and (F) supports workforce development in ar- tificial intelligence related disciplines in the United States, including increasing partici- pation of historically underrepresented com- munities. (3) Use of funds Financial assistance awarded under para- graph (1) may be used by an Institute for— (A) managing and making available to re- searchers accessible, curated, standardized, secure, and privacy protected data sets from the public and private sectors for the pur- poses of training and testing artificial intel- ligence systems and for research using arti- ficial intelligence systems, pursuant to sub- sections (c), (e), and (f) of section 278h–1 of this title (as added by section 5301 of this di- vision); (B) developing and managing testbeds for artificial intelligence systems, including sector-specific test beds, designed to enable users to evaluate artificial intelligence sys- tems prior to deployment; (C) conducting research and education ac- tivities involving artificial intelligence sys- tems to solve challenges with social, eco- nomic, health, scientific, and national secu- rity implications; (D) providing or brokering access to com- puting resources, networking, and data fa- cilities for artificial intelligence research and development relevant to the Institute’s research goals; (E) providing technical assistance to users, including software engineering support, for Page 2593 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 9442 1 See References in Text note below. 1 So in original. The comma probably should not appear. artificial intelligence research and develop- ment relevant to the Institute’s research goals; (F) engaging in outreach and engagement to broaden participation in artificial intel- ligence research and the artificial intel- ligence workforce; and (G) such other activities that an agency head, whose agency’s missions contribute to or are affected by artificial intelligence, considers consistent with the purposes de- scribed in section 9411(a) of this title. (4) Duration (A) Initial periods An award of financial assistance under paragraph (1) shall be awarded for an initial period of 5 years. (B) Extension An established Institute may apply for, and the agency head may grant, extended funding for periods of 5 years on a merit-re- viewed basis using the merit review criteria of the sponsoring agency. (5) Application for financial assistance A person 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 agen- cy head may require. (6) Competitive, merit review In awarding financial assistance under para- graph (1), the agency head shall— (A) use a competitive, merit review proc- ess that includes peer review by a diverse group of individuals with relevant expertise from both the private and public sectors; and (B) ensure the focus areas of the Institute do not substantially and unnecessarily du- plicate the efforts of any other Institute. (7) Collaboration (A) In general In awarding financial assistance under paragraph (1), an agency head may collabo- rate with Federal departments and agencies whose missions contribute to or are affected by artificial intelligence systems. (B) Coordinating network The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a network of In- stitutes receiving financial assistance under this subsection, to be known as the ‘‘Artifi- cial Intelligence Leadership Network’’, to coordinate cross-cutting research and other activities carried out by the Institutes. (8) Limitation No funds authorized in this subchapter shall be awarded to Institutes outside of the United States. All awardees and subawardees for such Institute shall be based in the United States, in addition to any other eligibility criteria as established by each agency head. (Pub. L. 116–283, div. E, title LII, § 5201, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4534.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Section 5301 of this division, referred to in subsec. (b)(3)(A), means section 5301 of div. E of Pub. L. 116–283, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4536. SUBCHAPTER III—DEPARTMENT OF COM- MERCE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AC- TIVITIES § 9441. Stakeholder outreach In carrying out the activities under section 278h–1 of this title as amended by title III of this Act,1 the Director shall— (1) solicit input from university researchers, private sector experts, relevant Federal agen- cies, Federal laboratories, State, Tribal, and local governments, civil society groups, and other relevant stakeholders; (2) solicit input from experts in relevant fields of social science, technology ethics, and law; and (3) provide opportunity for public comment on guidelines and best practices developed as part of the Initiative, as appropriate. (Pub. L. 116–283, div. E, title LIII, § 5302, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4539.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Section 278h–1 of this title as amended by title III of this Act, referred to in text, probably means section 278h–1 of this title as added by title LIII of Pub. L. 116–283, div. E, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4536. § 9442. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration Artificial Intelligence Center (a) In general The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (hereafter re- ferred to as ‘‘the Administrator’’) shall estab- lish,1 a Center for Artificial Intelligence (here- after referred to as ‘‘the Center’’). (b) Center goals The goals of the Center shall be to— (1) coordinate and facilitate the scientific and technological efforts related to artificial intelligence across the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and (2) expand external partnerships, and build workforce proficiency to effectively transition artificial intelligence research and applica- tions to operations. (c) Comprehensive program Through the Center, the Administrator shall implement a comprehensive program to improve the use of artificial intelligence systems across the agency in support of the mission of the Na- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (d) Center priorities The priorities of the Center shall be to— (1) coordinate and facilitate artificial intel- ligence research and innovation, tools, sys- tems, and capabilities across the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;