(a) In general
the 1 Director of the National Science Foundation shall fund research and education activities in artificial intelligence systems and related fields, including competitive awards or grants to institutions of higher education or eligible nonprofit organizations (or consortia thereof).
(b) Uses of funds
In carrying out the activities under subsection (a), the Director of the National Science Foundation shall—
(1) support research, including interdisciplinary research, on artificial intelligence systems and related areas, including fields and research areas that will contribute to the development and deployment of trustworthy artificial intelligence systems, and fields and research areas that address the application of artificial intelligence systems to scientific discovery and societal challenges;
(2) use the existing programs of the National Science Foundation, in collaboration with other Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate to—
(A) improve the teaching and learning of topics related to artificial intelligence systems in K-12 education and postsecondary educational programs, including workforce training and career and technical education programs, undergraduate and graduate education programs, and in informal settings; and
(B) increase participation in artificial intelligence related fields, including by individuals identified in sections
1885a and 1885b of title 42;
(3) support partnerships among institutions of higher education, Federal laboratories, nonprofit organizations, State, local, and Tribal governments, industry, and potential users of artificial intelligence systems that facilitate collaborative research, personnel exchanges, and workforce development and identify emerging research needs with respect to artificial intelligence systems;
(4) ensure adequate access to research and education infrastructure with respect to artificial intelligence systems, which may include the development of new computing resources and partnership with the private sector for the provision of cloud-based computing services;
(5) conduct prize competitions, as appropriate, pursuant to section
3719 of this title;
(6) coordinate research efforts funded through existing programs across the directorates of the National Science Foundation;
(7) provide guidance on data sharing by grantees to public and private sector organizations consistent with the standards and guidelines developed under section
278h–1(e) of this title (as added by section
5301 of this division); and
(8) evaluate opportunities for international collaboration with strategic allies on artificial intelligence research and development.
(c) Engineering support
In general, the Director shall permit applicants to include in their proposed budgets funding for software engineering support to assist with the proposed research.
(d) Ethics
It is the sense of Congress that—
(A) a number of emerging areas of research, including artificial intelligence, have potential ethical, social, safety, and security risks that might be apparent as early as the basic research stage;
(B) the incorporation of ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the research design and review process for Federal awards may help mitigate potential harms before they happen;
(C) the National Science Foundation's agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study and make recommendations with respect to governance of research in computing and computing technologies is a positive step toward accomplishing this goal; and
(D) the National Science Foundation should continue to work with stakeholders to understand and adopt policies that promote best practices for governance of research in emerging technologies at every stage of research.
No later than 6 months after publication of the study described in paragraph (1)(C), the Director shall report to Congress on options for requiring an ethics or risk statement as part of all or a subset of applications for research funding to the National Science Foundation.
(e) Education
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award grants for artificial intelligence education research, development and related activities to support K-12 and postsecondary education programs and activities, including workforce training and career and technical education programs and activities, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education, and informal education programs and activities that—
(A) support the development of a diverse workforce pipeline for science and technology with respect to artificial intelligence systems;
(B) increase awareness of potential ethical, social, safety, and security risks of artificial intelligence systems;
(C) promote curriculum development for teaching topics related to artificial intelligence, including in the field of technology ethics;
(D) support efforts to achieve equitable access to K-12 artificial intelligence education in diverse geographic areas and for populations historically underrepresented in science, engineering, and artificial intelligence fields; and
(E) promote the widespread understanding of artificial intelligence principles and methods to create an educated workforce and general public able to use products enabled by artificial intelligence systems and adapt to future societal and economic changes caused by artificial intelligence systems.
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a program to award grants to eligible institutions of higher education to recruit and retain tenure-track or tenured faculty in artificial intelligence and related fields.
An institution of higher education shall use grant funds provided under clause (i) for the purposes of—
(I) recruiting new tenure-track or tenured faculty members that conduct research and teaching in artificial intelligence and related fields and research areas, including technology ethics; and
(II) paying salary and benefits for the academic year of newly recruited tenure-track or tenured faculty members for a duration of up to three years.
For purposes of this subparagraph, an eligible institution of higher education is—
(I) a Historically Black College and University (within the meaning of the term "part B institution" under section
1061 of title 20), Tribal College or University, or other minority-serving institution, as defined in section
1067q(a) of title 20;
(II) an institution classified under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a doctorate-granting university with a high level of research activity; or
(III) an institution located in a State jurisdiction eligible to participate in the National Science Foundation's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a program to award fellowships to tenure-track and tenured faculty in social and behavioral sciences, ethics, law, and related fields to develop new research projects and partnerships in technology ethics.
The purposes of such fellowships are to enable researchers in social and behavioral sciences, ethics, law, and related fields to establish new research and education partnerships with researchers in artificial intelligence and related fields; learn new techniques and acquire systematic knowledge in artificial intelligence and related fields; and mentor and advise graduate students and postdocs pursuing research in technology ethics.
A fellowship may include salary and benefits for up to one academic year, expenses to support coursework or equivalent training in artificial intelligence systems, and additional such expenses that the Director deems appropriate.
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish national centers of scientific and technical education to advance education and workforce development in areas related to artificial intelligence pursuant to section
1862i of title 42. Activities of such centers may include—
(i) the development, dissemination, and evaluation of curriculum and other educational tools and methods in artificial intelligence related fields and research areas, including technology ethics;
(ii) the development and evaluation of artificial intelligence related certifications for 2-year programs; and
(iii) interdisciplinary science and engineering research in employment-based adult learning and career retraining related to artificial intelligence fields.
(f) National Science Foundation pilot program of grants for research in rapidly evolving, high priority topics
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of awarding grants for the conduct of research in rapidly evolving, high priority topics using funding mechanisms that require brief project descriptions and internal merit review, and that may include accelerated external review.
The Director shall carry out the pilot program required by paragraph (1) during the 5-year period beginning on Janaury 1, 2021.
After the period set forth in paragraph (2)(A)—
(i) the Director shall assess the pilot program; and
(ii) if the Director determines that it is both feasible and advisable to do so, the Director may continue the pilot program.
In carrying out the pilot program, the Director shall award grants for the conduct of research in topics selected by the Director in accordance with paragraph (4).
The Director shall select topics for research under the pilot program in accordance with the following:
(A) The Director shall select artificial intelligence as the initial topic for the pilot program.
(B) The Director may select additional topics that the Director determines are—
(i) rapidly evolving; and
(ii) of high importance to the economy and security of the United States.
(g) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out this section—
(1) $868,000,000 for fiscal year 2021;
(2) $911,400,000 for fiscal year 2022;
(3) $956,970,000 for fiscal year 2023;
(4) $1,004,820,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
(5) $1,055,060,000 for fiscal year 2025.