Advancing Artificial Intelligence Research Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3891 To require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to advance the development of technical standards for artificial intel- ligence, to establish the National Program to Advance Artificial Intel- ligence Research, to promote research on artificial intelligence at the National Science Foundation, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 4, 2020 Mr. GARDNER (for himself, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. WICKER) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Com- merce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To require the Director of the National Institute of Stand- ards and Technology to advance the development of tech- nical standards for artificial intelligence, to establish the National Program to Advance Artificial Intelligence Re- search, to promote research on artificial intelligence at the National Science Foundation, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advancing Artificial 4 Intelligence Research Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3891 IS SEC. 2. STANDARD DEVELOPMENT FOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL- 1 LIGENCE AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF 2 STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY. 3 The National Institute of Standards and Technology 4 Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 5 section 22 the following: 6 ‘‘SEC. 22A. STANDARDS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 7 ‘‘(a) MISSION.—The Institute shall— 8 ‘‘(1) have the mission of advancing frameworks, 9 standards, guidelines, and associated methods and 10 techniques for artificial intelligence; 11 ‘‘(2) support the development of a risk-mitiga- 12 tion framework for deploying artificial intelligence; 13 ‘‘(3) support the development of technical 14 standards and guidelines that promote reliable, ro- 15 bust, and trustworthy artificial intelligence; and 16 ‘‘(4) support the development of technical 17 standards and guidelines by which to test for bias in 18 artificial intelligence training data and applications. 19 ‘‘(b) PARTICIPATION IN STANDARD SETTING ORGA- 20 NIZATIONS.— 21 ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Institute shall par- 22 ticipate in the development of standards and speci- 23 fications for artificial intelligence. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3891 IS ‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of participation 1 of the Institute under paragraph (1) shall be to en- 2 sure— 3 ‘‘(A) that standards promote artificial in- 4 telligence that is reliable, robust, and trust- 5 worthy; and 6 ‘‘(B) that standards relating to artificial 7 intelligence reflect the state of technology and 8 are fit-for-purpose and developed in the trans- 9 parent and consensus-based processes that are 10 open to all stakeholders.’’. 11 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL PROGRAM TO AD- 12 VANCE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RE- 13 SEARCH. 14 The National Institute of Standards and Technology 15 Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.), as amended by section 2, 16 is further amended by inserting after section 22A the fol- 17 lowing: 18 ‘‘SEC. 22B. NATIONAL PROGRAM TO ADVANCE ARTIFICIAL 19 INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH. 20 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish 22 a research program with a national scope to advance 23 use-inspired artificial intelligence research and its 24 use in a manner that serves the needs of the United 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3891 IS States, the Institute, industry, the academic commu- 1 nity, and such other entities as the Director con- 2 siders appropriate. 3 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION.—The research program es- 4 tablished under paragraph (1) shall be known as the 5 ‘National Program to Advance Artificial Intelligence 6 Research’ (in this section referred to as the ‘Pro- 7 gram’). 8 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—The activities of the Program 9 shall include the following: 10 ‘‘(1) Supporting research necessary to opera- 11 tionalize the goals of reliable, robust, and trust- 12 worthy artificial intelligence. 13 ‘‘(2) Supporting research necessary to develop 14 and operationalize technical standards and guide- 15 lines that promote reliable, robust, and trustworthy 16 artificial intelligence. 17 ‘‘(3) Fostering development of artificial intel- 18 ligence applications that would enhance the public 19 good. 20 ‘‘(4) Supporting research necessary to advance 21 human-centered artificial intelligence and examining 22 societal, ethical, safety, security, and privacy effects 23 of artificial intelligence development and deployment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:38 Jun 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3891 IS ‘‘(5) Creating and developing processes for the 1 purpose of advancing use-inspired artificial intel- 2 ligence research and its use. 3 ‘‘(6) Promoting exchange of personnel among 4 industry, academic, and the government entities. 5 ‘‘(7) Establishing and operating at least one 6 test bed to support the outside entities testing the 7 degree to which artificial intelligence applications 8 and training data are reliable, robust, and trust- 9 worthy. 10 ‘‘(c) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In establishing 11 the Program, the Director may establish multiple physical 12 campuses and a national network of participants to avoid 13 undue geographic concentration of the activities of the 14 Program. 15 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 16 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 17 $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 18 2025.’’. 19 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTEL- 20 LIGENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTES. 21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 23 Science Foundation shall establish at least 6 re- 24 search institutes to serve the needs of the United 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3891 IS States, industry, the academic community, and such 1 other entities as the Director considers appropriate 2 by— 3 (A) conducting research on longer-time-ho- 4 rizon challenges in artificial intelligence re- 5 search; and 6 (B) creating and developing processes for 7 the purpose of advancing use-inspired artificial 8 intelligence research and its deployment. 9 (2) DESIGNATION.—Each research institute es- 10 tablished under paragraph (1) shall be known as a 11 ‘‘National Artificial Intelligence Research Institute’’. 12 (b) GRANTS.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish 14 the research institutes under subsection (a) through 15 the award of grants to eligible entities using a com- 16 petitive, merit-reviewed process. 17 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of this 18 section, an eligible entity is— 19 (A) an institution of higher education; 20 (B) a nonprofit research center; 21 (C) such other type of entity as the Direc- 22 tor considers appropriate; or 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3891 IS (D) a collaboration of any combination of 1 entities described in subparagraphs (A) through 2 (C). 3 (3) DURATION.— 4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each grant awarded 5 under paragraph (1) shall be for a period of 5 6 years. 7 (B) REAPPLICATION.—The Director may 8 approve or disapprove reapplications from grant 9 recipients for additional grants. 10 (C) TERMINATION.—The Director may ter- 11 minate a grant awarded under paragraph (1) 12 for an underperforming research institute, for 13 cause, during the performance period of the 14 grant. 15 (c) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity seeking a 16 grant under paragraph (1) to establish a research institute 17 under this section shall submit to the Director an applica- 18 tion therefor at such time, in such manner, and containing 19 such information as the Director determines appropriate. 20 (d) COMMUNITY FACILITY.—The Director shall en- 21 sure that at least 1 research institute established under 22 this section operates an artificial-intelligence community 23 computing facility that is available for use by entities 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3891 IS other than research institutes established under this sec- 1 tion. 2 (e) FUNDING.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 4 appropriations, the Director may, in each of fiscal 5 years 2021 through 2025, obligate to carry out this 6 section an amount that is less than or equal to 7 $50,000,000 multiplied by the number of research 8 institutes established under this section. 9 (2) DERIVATION OF FUNDS.—Amounts obli- 10 gated to carry out this section shall be derived from 11 amounts appropriated to the Foundation. 12 SEC. 5. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION TRAINEESHIP 13 PROGRAM GRANTS. 14 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 16 Science Foundation shall carry out a program to 17 award grants to eligible entities to establish train- 18 eeship programs and support trainees in topics se- 19 lected by the Director under subsection (c). 20 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program es- 21 tablished by the Director under paragraph (1) shall 22 be to increase the number of individuals with ad- 23 vanced degrees through both direct support and pro- 24 grammatic support. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:38 Jun 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3891 IS (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of this sec- 1 tion, an eligible entity is— 2 (1) an institution of higher education; or 3 (2) a consortia of institutions of higher edu- 4 cation or nonprofit organizations. 5 (c) TOPICS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 7 the Director shall select a topic for the award of 8 grants under subsection (a) based on— 9 (A) the potential of a traineeship program 10 in the topic or support of trainees in the topic 11 to affect society positively; 12 (B) the importance of the topic to the 13 economy and security of the United States; 14 (C) the career opportunities for the grad- 15 uates; and 16 (D) the need for workers in the topic with 17 advanced degrees. 18 (2) INITIAL TOPIC SELECTION.—The Director 19 shall select artificial intelligence as the initial topic 20 for the award of grants under subsection (a). 21 (d) COMPONENTS.—A grant awarded under this sec- 22 tion may include support for— 23 (1) the recipient of the grant to develop and 24 distribute model curriculum that may be used by 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3891 IS other graduate programs to educate students in the 1 topic selected under subsection (c); 2 (2) mentors to provide guidance for students 3 within the topic area; and 4 (3) tuition and stipend for students pursuing a 5 masters or doctoral degree. 6 SEC. 6. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PILOT PROGRAM 7 ON GRANTS FOR RESEARCH IN RAPIDLY 8 EVOLVING, HIGH PRIORITY TOPICS. 9 (a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Director of 10 the National Science Foundation shall establish a pilot 11 program to assess the feasibility and advisability of award- 12 ing grants for the conduct of research in rapidly evolving, 13 high priority topics. 14 (b) DURATION.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall carry out 16 the pilot program required by subsection (a) during 17 the 5-year period beginning on the date of the enact- 18 ment of this Act. 19 (2) ASSESSMENT AND CONTINUATION AUTHOR- 20 ITY.—After the period set forth in paragraph (1)— 21 (A) the Director shall assess the pilot pro- 22 gram; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3891 IS (B) if the Director determines that it is 1 both feasible and advisable to do so, the Direc- 2 tor may continue the pilot program. 3 (c) GRANTS.—In carrying out the pilot program, the 4 Director shall award grants for the conduct of research 5 in topics selected by the Director in accordance with sub- 6 section (d). 7 (d) TOPIC SELECTION.—The Director shall select 8 topics for research under the pilot program in accordance 9 with the following: 10 (1) The Director shall select artificial intel- 11 ligence as the initial topic for the pilot program. 12 (2) The Director may select additional topics 13 that the Director determines are— 14 (A) rapidly evolving; or 15 (B) of high importance to the economy and 16 security of the United States. 17 (e) APPLICATIONS.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 19 person seeking a grant under the pilot program shall 20 submit to the Director an application therefor at 21 such time, in such manner, and containing such in- 22 formation as the Director may specify. 23 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 24 under paragraph (1) shall include the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3891 IS (A) A brief description of the research the 1 applicant proposes to carry out with a grant 2 awarded under the pilot program. 3 (B) A brief description of how the research 4 is of an urgent nature. 5 (C) The general goals of the research. 6 (D) Such other information as the Director 7 may specify. 8 (f) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant under 9 the pilot program shall use the amount of the grant to 10 conduct the research for which the grant was awarded. 11 (g) SUMMARIES OF RESEARCH FINDINGS.—A recipi- 12 ent of a grant under the pilot program shall submit to 13 the Director, at such intervals as the Director determines 14 appropriate, a summary of the findings of the recipient 15 with respect to the research conducted with the grant 16 amount. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:46 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS