AI Moving Ahead With or Without Us

U.S lawmakers have passed legislation to ensure that students and business owners are upskilled in AI, can leverage it for commerce and help keep the United States innovative and competitive globally.

During the summer of 2024, the U.S. Senate reportedly passed the bipartisan Future of AI Innovation Act, ensuring that the U.S. maintains leadership in the global race to develop AI and other emerging technologies.

Led by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and colleagues Todd Young. R-Ind., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., this legislation ensures that the U.S. leads global AI innovation and outlines initiatives to promote private sector involvement in these advances.

"The Future of AI Innovation Act encourages coordination between the U.S. government and industry to capitalize on the promise of AI to revolutionize our lives," Blackburn said in published statements. She also noted how AI could be useful in detecting fentanyl, illicit contraband and improving border security.

"One of my top priorities for federal AI policy is to ensure these technologies are developed in a manner that reflects our democratic values and supports innovation continuing to flourish in the United States, and today's vote represents an important step forward in that effort," Young remarked.

According to Senate committee members, The Future of AI Innovation Act encourages the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) AI Safety Institute to develop AI standards to ensure AI reliability.

The Act will create initiatives across governmental agencies such as NIST, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE), and private sector partnerships for the evaluation of complex AI models to create new resources for advanced manufacturing. It also intends to develop new AI proving grounds with national laboratories to assess AI and make breakthroughs that benefit the U.S. economy.

The Act also creates competitions to encourage private sector solutions and advancements in AI, computing, microelectronics, manufacturing and other economic priorities like developments in maritime vessel propulsion systems and border security, including fentanyl and illegal drug detection.

Furthermore, the legislation directs federal science agencies to make curated datasets available for public use, benefitting small and medium businesses with less access to such datasets.

The Future of AI Innovation Act also charges the Department of Commerce, NSF and Department of State to forge international alliances on AI innovation with "the most technologically advanced like-minded democracies" to cooperate on AI innovation and standards.

In July of 2024, the Senate also passed the bipartisan National Science Foundation AI Education Act, led by Senator Cantwell and Republican Senator Jerry Moran, advocating for expanding opportunities to study AI and quantum across all education levels.

"Demand for AI expertise is already high and will continue to grow," Senator Cantwell reportedly stated. "This bill will open doors to AI for students at all levels, and upskill our workforce to drive American tech innovation, entrepreneurship and progress in solving the toughest global challenges."

The NSF AI Education Act authorizes the agency to award scholarships in AI, quantum hybrid and quantum, focusing on AI in agriculture, education and advanced manufacturing.

It creates fellowships for professional development for those already in STEM and requires NSF partnerships with academics to introduce AI skills to K-12 students and create Centers of Excellence at community colleges. It also creates grants for AI research, development, and agriculture training through land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension Service.

"This legislation takes an all-of-the-above approach, investing in STEM education, fellowships and hands-on-learning from kindergarten to college for students in rural areas, at community colleges and from low-income homes. Inspiration to explore and the resources to learn will help make certain the U.S. is an AI leader in the next century," were included in Moran’s published remarks.

Cantwell is quoted as saying, "The emerging tech jobs of tomorrow are here today," She's right.

Lawmakers in the U.S. recognize that artificial intelligence can improve how we do business, and that the U.S. must maintain its competitive edge in the technology landscape.

The U.S.'s pursuit to remain at the forefront of the tech race is worthwhile, and continued innovation in AI is imperative to accelerate growth in industries and create technologies to detect, prevent, and curtail AI's nefarious uses.

Training students and businesses in AI should be a priority; this legislation will make that training more accessible. In addition to instruction on AI's capabilities, students and professionals should be adept at leveraging it for efficiencies and innovations and excel at mitigating its threats.

Artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly and the national priority for AI training and education is necessary. Despite the paradoxes of AI, keep your fingers on the pulse of this technology. It is moving ahead with or without us.