On January 24, 2024, the U.S. National Science Foundation (“NSF”) announced the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (“NAIRR”) pilot, a two-year initiative to develop a shared national research infrastructure for responsible AI discovery and innovation. The launch makes progress on a goal in President Biden’s recent Executive Order on AI safety and security that directs the NSF to launch a NAIRR pilot within 90 days.

The NAIRR pilot will broadly support AI-related research with an initial focus on the application of AI to societal challenges, including human health and environment and infrastructure sustainability.  To support researchers and educators, the NAIRR pilot also will compile AI resources such as pre-trained models, responsible AI toolkits, and industry-specific training data sets that are aligned with the NAIRR pilot goals. The NSF will partner with 10 other federal agencies as well as 25 private sector, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations to implement the NAIRR pilot and improve its ecosystem over time.

The NSF has stated that it welcomes additional partners and will release a broader call for proposals from the research community in spring 2024.