Efforts to research, improve, and democratize artificial intelligence (AI) for use in numerous fields are underway, according to experts from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Dr. Michael Littman
Leaders from multiple different NSF divisions gathered during a virtual panel last Thursday to point out how the federal agency was funding the use of AI in sectors such as climate, healthcare, education, and agriculture.
The current funding commitments are about $500 million and are being used to support endeavors such as the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program, said Dr. Michael Littman, division director for NSF’s division of information and intelligent systems.
Discussions around AI and machine learning have become more frequent as of late, with AI tools such as ChatGPT seemingly accessible to the general public. The discourse has come with its fair share of skepticism about skewed results and potentially replacing workers in some industries.
The AI research community is aware of such concerns and some NSF-affiliated institutes – such as the AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES) and The Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society (TRAILS) – are actively working towards developing more reliable AI, Littman said.
"People are worried about the ways the technology can negatively impact individuals, marginalized groups, organizations, communities, society, the environment, and even the planet,” Littman said. “AI researchers, like me, are very much aware of these concerns and are actively helping us better understand and address the ethical, legal, and societal ramifications of the way AI is deployed."
There are currently 25 AI institutes across more than 40 states, said Dr. Abi Ilumoka, program director for NSF’s division of undergraduate education.
