Prize competition for artificial intelligence interpretability research

(a) Prize competition required Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall commence carrying out at least 1 prize competition under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719) to advance the science of interpretability in a manner relevant to commercially available or widely used artificial intelligence products. (b) Consultation In carrying out the prize competition required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with— (1) the Secretary of Commerce; (2) the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; (3) the National Cyber Director; (4) the Director of the National Science Foundation; and (5) any industry expert from the artificial intelligence sector in the United States that the Secretary considers relevant. (c) Structure and evaluation criteria (1) In general The Secretary shall develop the structure and evaluation criteria for a prize competition carried out under subsection (a) in accordance with the primary purpose described in that subsection. (2) Competition structure The Secretary may— (A) structure a competition under subsection (a) into 1 or more phases, including submission of interpretability frameworks, submission of interpretable artificial intelligence models, and unique basic research; and (B) open these phases to the same, or to distinct, contestant pools. (3) Evaluation considerations In developing the evaluation criteria for the frameworks, models, or methods submitted for a prize competition under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider— (A) the degree to which a submission advances broadly applicable principles of artificial intelligence interpretability; (B) the practical value of a submission in making artificial intelligence more understandable and reliable in high-risk, high-value use cases; and (C) the likelihood that the unique research submitted will create standards for artificial intelligence interpretability in the government or industry. (d) Program administration The Secretary may enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, or other agreements with for-profit or nonprofit entities or State, territorial, local, or Tribal agencies to design and administer any prize competition carried out under subsection (a).