Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence

(a) In general Title LI of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9411 et seq.), as amended by section 201, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section: 5107. Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence (a) Establishment of program (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Future of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (acting through the National Science and Technology Council) and the Interagency Committee may establish a program to award prizes, using the authorities and processes established under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), to eligible participants as determined by the co-chairs of the Interagency Committee pursuant to subsection (e). (2) Purposes The purposes of the program required by paragraph (1) are as follows: (A) To expedite the development of artificial intelligence systems in the United States. (B) To stimulate artificial intelligence research, development, and commercialization that solves or advances specific, well-defined, and measurable challenges in 1 or more of the categories established pursuant to subsection (b). (b) Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence (1) List of priorities The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (acting through the National Science and Technology Council) and the Interagency Committee and in consultation with industry, civil society, and academia, shall identify, and annually review and update as the Director considers appropriate, a list of priorities for Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence pursuant to the purposes set forth under subsection (a)(2). (2) Initial list (A) Contents The list established pursuant to paragraph (1) may include the following priorities: (i) To overcome challenges with engineering of and applied research on microelectronics, including through integration of artificial intelligence with emerging technologies, such as neuromorphic and quantum computing, or with respect to the physical limits on transistors, advanced interconnects, and memory elements. (ii) To promote transformational or long-term advancements in computing and artificial intelligence technologies through— (I) next-generation algorithm design; (II) next-generation compute capability; (III) generative and adaptive artificial intelligence for design applications; (IV) photonics-based microprocessors and optical communication networks, including electrophotonics; (V) the chemistry and physics of new materials; (VI) biotechnology, such as modeling a single cell; (VII) energy use or energy efficiency; (VIII) techniques to establish cryptographically secure content provenance information; or (IX) safety and controls for artificial intelligence applications. (iii) To promote explainability and mechanistic interpretability of artificial intelligence systems. (iv) To advance fundamental understanding of artificial intelligence, including through breakthroughs in theoretical, computational, and experimental methods that discover new and transformative paradigms that explain the advanced capabilities of artificial intelligence in domains such as the following: (I) Interpretability. (II) Control. (III) Steerability. (IV) Robustness against foreign adversaries. (v) To develop artificial intelligence solutions, including through integration among emerging technologies such as neuromorphic and quantum computing to overcome barriers relating to innovations in advanced manufacturing in the United States, including areas such as— (I) materials, nanomaterials, and composites; (II) rapid, complex design; (III) sustainability and environmental impact of manufacturing operations; (IV) predictive maintenance of machinery; (V) improved part quality; (VI) process inspections; (VII) worker safety; and (VIII) robotics. (vi) To develop artificial intelligence solutions in sectors of the economy, such as expanding the use of artificial intelligence in maritime vessels, including in navigation and in the design of propulsion systems and fuels. (vii) To develop artificial intelligence solutions to improve border security, including solutions relevant to the detection of fentanyl, illicit contraband, and other illegal activities. (viii) To develop artificial intelligence for science applications. (ix) To develop cybersecurity for artificial intelligence-related intellectual property, such as artificial intelligence systems and artificial intelligence algorithms, including robustness, resilience, and security from foreign adversaries. (x) To develop artificial intelligence solutions to modernize code and software systems that are deployed in government agencies and critical infrastructure and are at risk of maintenance difficulties due to code obsolescence or challenges finding expertise in outdated code bases. (xi) To develop solutions to reduce the energy consumption in developing, deploying, and maintain data-efficient and high-performance artificial intelligence models. (xii) To develop methods to prevent misuse of artificial intelligence systems for malicious purposes. (xiii) To find applications of artificial intelligence in wireless communications systems, including cellular networks and cybersecurity efforts. (xiv) To advance the capabilities of artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation for physical laboratory infrastructure and cloud laboratories. (3) Consultation on identification and selection of grand challenges The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, such agency heads as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy considers relevant, and the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee shall each identify and select artificial intelligence research and development grand challenges in which eligible participants will compete to solve or advance for prize awards under subsection (a). (4) Public input on identification The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall also seek public input on the identification of artificial intelligence research and development grand challenges under subsection (a). (5) Problem statements; success metrics For each priority for a Federal grand challenge identified under paragraph (1) and the grand challenges identified and selected under paragraph (3), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall— (A) establish a specific and well-defined grand challenge problem statement and ensure that such problem statement is published on a website linking out to relevant prize competition listings on the website Challenge.gov, or successor website, that is managed by the General Services Administration; and (B) establish and publish on the website Challenge.gov, or successor website, clear targets, success metrics, and validation protocols for the prize competitions designed to address each grand challenge, in order to provide specific benchmarks that will be used to evaluate submissions to the prize competition. (c) Federal investment initiatives authorized Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this purpose, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of the National Science Foundation may, consistent with the missions or responsibilities of each Federal agency, establish 1 or more prize competitions under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), challenge-based acquisitions, or other research and development investments that each agency head deems appropriate consistent with the list of priorities established pursuant to subsection (b)(1). (d) Requirements (1) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall develop requirements for— (A) the process for prize competitions under subsections (a) and (c), including eligibility criteria for participants, consistent with the requirements under paragraph (2); and (B) testing, judging, and verification procedures for submissions to receive a prize award under subsection (c). (2) Eligibility requirement and judging (A) Eligibility In accordance with the requirement described in section 24(g)(3) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719(g)(3)), a recipient of a prize award under subsection (c)— (i) that is a private entity shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States; and (ii) who is an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. (B) Judges In accordance with section 24(k) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719(k)), a judge of a prize competition under subsection (c) may be an individual from the private sector. (3) Agency leadership Each agency head carrying out an investment initiative under subsection (c) shall ensure that— (A) for each prize competition or investment initiative carried out by the agency head under such subsection, there is— (i) a positive impact on the economic competitiveness of the United States; (ii) a benefit to United States industry; (iii) to the extent possible, leveraging of the resources and expertise of industry and philanthropic partners in shaping the investments; and (iv) in a case involving development and manufacturing, use of advanced manufacturing in the United States; and (B) all research conducted for purposes of the investment initiative is conducted in the United States. (e) Reports (1) Notification of winning submission Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under subsection (c), the agency head awarding the prize shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and such other committees of Congress as the agency head considers relevant a report that describes the winning submission to the prize competition and its benefits to the United States. (2) Biennial report (A) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of the Future of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026, and biennially thereafter, the heads of agencies described in subsection (c) shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and such other committees of Congress as the agency heads consider relevant a report that includes— (i) a description of the activities carried out by the agency heads under this section; (ii) a description of the active competitions and the results of completed competitions under subsection (c); and (iii) efforts to provide information to the public on active competitions under subsection (c) to encourage participation. (B) Public accessibility The agency heads described in subsection (c) shall make the biennial report required under subparagraph (A) publicly accessible, including by posting the biennial report on a website in an easily accessible location, such as the GovInfo website of the Government Publishing Office. (f) Accessibility In carrying out any competition under subsection (c), the head of an agency shall post the active prize competitions and available prize awards under subsection (b) to Challenge.gov, or successor website, after the grand challenges are selected and the prize competitions are designed pursuant to subsections (c) and (e) to ensure the prize competitions are widely accessible to eligible participants. (g) Sunset This section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment the Future of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act of 2026.. (b) Comptroller General of the United States studies and reports (1) Initial study (A) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of Federal prize competitions, which shall include an assessment of the efficacy and impact of prize competitions generally. (B) Elements The study conducted under subparagraph (A) shall include, to the extent practicable, the following: (i) A survey of all existing, current and ongoing Federal prize competitions carried out under authorities enacted before the date of the enactment of this Act. (ii) An assessment of those existing, current, and ongoing Federal prize competitions that includes addressing— (I) whether and what technology or innovation would have been developed in the absence of the prize competitions; (II) whether the prize competitions shortened the timeframe for the development of the technology or innovation; (III) whether the prize competition was cost effective; (IV) what, if any, other benefits were gained from conducting the prize competitions; (V) whether the use of a more traditional policy tool such as a grant or contract have resulted in the development of a similar technology or innovation; (VI) whether prize competitions might be designed differently in a way that would result in a more effective or revolutionary technology being developed; (VII) what are appropriate metrics that could be used for determining the success of a prize competition, and whether those metrics differ when evaluating near-term and long-term impacts of prize competitions; and (VIII) suggested best practices of prize competitions. (C) Congressional briefing Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall provide the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a briefing on the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (D) Report Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the congressional committees specified in subparagraph (C) a report on the findings and recommendations of Comptroller General from the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (2) Interim study (A) In general The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of the Federal prize challenges implemented under section 5108 of the of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, as added by subsection (a), which shall include an assessment of the efficacy and effect of such prize competitions. (B) Elements The study conducted under subparagraph (A) shall include, to the extent practicable, the following: (i) A survey of all Federal prize competitions implemented under section 5108 of the of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, as added by subsection (a). (ii) An assessment of the Federal prize competitions implemented such section, which shall include addressing the same considerations as set forth under paragraph (1)(B)(ii). (iii) An assessment of the efficacy, impact, and cost-effectiveness of prize competitions implemented under section 5108 of the of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, as added by subsection (a), compared to other Federal prize competitions. (C) Congressional briefing Not later than 1 year after completing the study required by subparagraph (A), the Comptroller General shall provide the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a briefing on the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (D) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the congressional committees specified in subparagraph (C) a report on the findings and recommendations of the Comptroller General with respect to the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (c) Clerical amendments The table of contents at the beginning of section 2 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and the table of contents at the beginning of title LI of such Act, as amended by section 201, are both amended by inserting after the items relating to section 5107 the following new item: 5107. Federal grand challenges in artificial intelligence..