NSF Announces 7 New AI Research Institutes at Universities Nationwide

• By Kate Lucariello
• 05/09/23

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a $140 million investment in seven new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes on themes spanning trustworthy AI, next-generation cybersecurity, AI for decision-making, AI-augmented learning, and other important topics. The overall goal is to contribute a federal effort to understand the opportunities and risks connected to AI, as well as help improve the country's economic well-being by training a diversified rural and urban American workforce in AI technologies.

With the new AI Institutes, the NSF has expanded its AI research network to almost every U.S. state, representing an overall investment of nearly $500 million, according to a news announcement. The initiative is supported by co-funding from divisions within the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Education, Defense, and the IBM Corporation.

The university-housed institutes are:

• NSF Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society (TRAILS), led by the University of Maryland, to "transform the practice of AI from one driven primarily by technological innovation to one driven with attention to ethics, human rights, and support for communities whose voices have been marginalized into mainstream AI";
• AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation (ACTION), led by the University of California, Santa Barbara, to work on "approaches that leverage AI to anticipate and take corrective actions against cyberthreats that target the security and privacy of computer networks and their users"';
• AI Institute for Climate-Land Interactions, Mitigation, Adaptation, Tradeoffs and Economy (AI-CLIMATE), led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, to "advance foundational AI by incorporating knowledge from agriculture and forestry sciences and leveraging these unique, new AI methods to curb climate effects while lifting rural economies";
• AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence (ARNI), led by Columbia University, to connect "the major progress made in AI systems to the revolution in our understanding of the brain";
• AI-Institute for Societal Decision Making (AI-SDM), led by Carnegie Mellon University, to "create human-centric AI for decision making to bolster effective response in uncertain, dynamic, and resource-constrained scenarios like disaster management and public health";
• AI Institute for Inclusive Intelligent Technologies for Education (INVITE), led by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, to "reframe how educational technologies interact with learners by developing AI tools and approaches to support three crucial noncognitive skills known to underlie effective learning: persistence, academic resilience, and collaboration"; and
• AI Institute for Exceptional Education (AI4ExceptionalEd), led by the University at Buffalo, to "work toward universal speech and language screening for children."

"The National AI Research Institutes are a critical component of our Nation's AI innovation, infrastructure, technology, education, and partnerships ecosystem," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "These institutes are driving discoveries that will ensure our country is at the forefront of the global AI revolution."

"These strategic federal investments will advance American AI infrastructure and innovation, so that AI can help tackle some of the biggest challenges we face, from climate change to health. Importantly, the growing network of National AI Research Institutes will promote responsible innovation that safeguards people's safety and rights," commented White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar.

Go here to see an interactive map of Institute locations.

Visit the NSF's National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes page to learn more.