The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force Releases Final Report

Recently, the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Task Force released a roadmap to establish a national research infrastructure aimed to broaden access to resources for AI research and development. There are ever increasing opportunities to work with cutting-edge AI technologies, but many of the opportunities are limited to large companies, organizations and academic institutions with an abundance of resources. The implementation plan, Strengthening and Democratizing the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Innovation Ecosystem, aims to provide AI researchers and students with access to computational resources, high-quality data, training tools, and user support.

The report lays out the following goals for the NAIRR:

1. Provide AI researchers and students with significantly expanded access to computational resources, high-quality data, educational tools, and user support—fueling greater innovation and advancing AI that serves the public good.
2. Establish the NAIRR with four measurable goals in mind, namely to 1) spur innovation, 2) increase diversity of talent, 3) improve capacity, and 4) advance trustworthy AI.
3. Follow a cooperative stewardship model, whereby a single Federal agency serves as the administrative home for NAIRR operations and a Steering Committee comprising principals from federal agencies with equities in AI Research drives the strategic direction of the NAIRR.
4. Provide access to a federal mix of computational and data resources, testbeds, software and testing tools and user support services via an integrated portal.
5. Provide accessible resources to a range of users and provide a platform that can be used for educational and community-building activities in order to lower the barriers to participation in the AI research ecosystem and increase the diversity of AI Researchers.
6. Set the standard for responsible AI research through the design and implementation of its governance processes.
7. Implement system safeguards in accordance with established guidelines.
8. Accomplish the implementation in four phases, beginning immediately after the publication of this report. Phase 1 securing  Congress funding, estimated to be around 2.6 billion over an initial six year period.

The NAIRR task force used a rigorous, open process to collect information and ensure the report was a collaborative, inclusive representation of community sentiments. The process included 11 public meetings and two formal requests for information to gather public input. In June 2022, the NAIRR task force requested input from the community on the initial findings and recommendations contained in the interim report. You can read the Computing Community Consortium’s response here.