The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will spend $140 million to establish seven new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes (AI Institutes) with the goal of promoting ethical and trustworthy AI systems and technologies, developing novel approaches to cybersecurity, contributing to innovative solutions to climate change, expanding our understanding of the brain, and leveraging AI capabilities to enhance education and public health.
“The National AI Research Institutes are a critical component of our Nation’s AI innovation, infrastructure, technology, education, and partnerships ecosystem,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “These institutes are driving discoveries that will ensure our country is at the forefront of the global AI revolution.”
The new AI Institutes:
NSF Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society (TRAILS)
Led by the University of Maryland, TRAILS aims to transform the practice of AI from one driven primarily by technological innovation to one driven with attention to ethics, human rights, and support for communities whose voices have been marginalized into mainstream AI.
AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation (ACTION)
Led by the University of California, Santa Barbara, this Institute will develop novel approaches that leverage AI to anticipate and take corrective actions against cyberthreats that target the security and privacy of computer networks and their users. The team of researchers will work with experts in security operations to develop a revolutionary approach to cybersecurity, in which AI-enabled intelligent security agents cooperate with humans across the cyber-defense life cycle to jointly improve the resilience of security of computer systems over time. ACTION is funded by a partnership between NSF, DHS S&T, and IBM.
Led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, this Institute aims to advance foundational AI by incorporating knowledge from agriculture and forestry sciences and leveraging these unique, new AI methods to curb climate effects while lifting rural economies.
AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence (ARNI)
Led by Columbia University, this Institute will draw together top researchers across the country to focus on a national priority: connecting the major progress made in AI systems to the revolution in our understanding of the brain. ARNI will meet the urgent need for new paradigms of interdisciplinary research between neuroscience, cognitive science, and AI.
AI-Institute for Societal Decision Making (AI-SDM)
Led by Carnegie Mellon University, this Institute seeks to create human-centric AI for decision making to bolster effective response in uncertain, dynamic, and resource-constrained scenarios like disaster management and public health.
AI Institute for Inclusive Intelligent Technologies for Education (INVITE)
Led by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, this Institute seeks to fundamentally reframe how educational technologies interact with learners by developing AI tools and approaches to support three crucial noncognitive skills known to underlie effective learning: persistence, academic resilience, and collaboration.
AI Institute for Exceptional Education (AI4ExceptionalEd)
Led by the University at Buffalo, this Institute will work toward universal speech and language screening for children. The framework, the AI screener, will analyze video and audio streams of children during classroom interactions and assess the need for evidence-based interventions tailored to individual needs of students.
