[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 185 (Wednesday, September 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59829-59830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20922]


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NATIONAL SECURITY COMMISSION ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

[Docket No.: 09-2020-01]


Solicitation of Written Comments by the National Security 
Commission on Artificial Intelligence

AGENCY: National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence 
(``the Commission) is publishing this notice to request comments from 
small- and medium-sized AI firms to help the Commission understand 
different views on working with the federal government. Responses will 
assist in identifying critical areas for improvement and recommended 
changes in the government's approach to technology procurement and 
support for commercial innovation.

DATES: Comment Date: The Commission requests comments from qualified 
parties on or before October 23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. 09-2020-
01, by one of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Please include the docket number 
in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: National Security Commission on Artificial 
Intelligence, Attn: RFI COMMENT--Docket No. 09-2020-01, 2530 Crystal 
Drive, Box 45, Arlington, VA 22202.
     Fax: +1-571-778-5049. Please include the docket number on 
the fax cover page.
    Due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, email is the 
Commission's primary method of receiving public comment. All 
submissions received must include the docket number. If the Commission 
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot 
contact you for clarification, the Commission may not be able to 
consider your comment. Late comments will be considered as time 
permits. Please note, any comments received by the Commission may be 
treated as public documents, be published on the Commission's website, 
or be included with its reports and/or recommendations. Based on the 
inputs from responders, the Commission may select particular responders 
for follow up conversations with the Commission's special project on 
public private partnerships. Submitters should be aware that the 
Commission is subject to the Freedom of Information Act and will 
transfer official records, including comments received, to the National 
Archives and Records Administration upon termination of the Commission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general inquiries, submission 
process questions, or any additional information about this request for 
comments, please contact Tara Rigler by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2019, Sec. 1051, Public Law 115-232, 132 Stat. 1636, 1962-65 
(2018), Congress directed the Commission to consider public-private 
partnerships relative to the competitiveness of the United States in 
AI, machine learning, and other associated technologies. In accordance 
with this direction, the Commission established a special project on 
public-private partnerships. The Commission has engaged stakeholders 
from across industry, academia, government, and civil society with the 
following objectives: (1) Assess the relationship between the National 
Security Innovation Base (NSIB) and the United States Government; and 
(2) Identify options for improving cooperation between the NSIB and the 
United States Government to increase the well-being of our citizens, 
strengthen the nation's entrepreneurial ecosystems, and protect the 
nation's security.
    This research has informed the Commission's approach from the 
outset and is reflected in one of the seven consensus principles 
outlined in the Interim Report, which states: ``Private sector leaders 
and government officials must build a shared sense of responsibility 
for the welfare and security of the American people.'' In addition, 
these engagements have also influenced recommendations in the 
Commission's First and Second Quarter memorandums. The Commission's 
Interim Report, as well as the First and Second Quarter 
recommendations, can be found on the Commission's website at https://www.nscai.gov/reports. Moving towards its final report, due in March 
2021, the Commission now seeks input from small- and medium-sized AI 
firms on methods and means by which the Government should engage with 
the private sector and bolster commercial AI innovation.

Instructions

    Respondents may choose to comment on one or all of the topic areas 
listed below. Please note that only comments received from firms that 
meet the small

[[Page 59830]]

business size standard for NAICS codes 541715 and 611420 will be 
considered under this request for comments. Firms that do not fit the 
NAICS code or size standard but wish to comment may do so via the 
Commission's general request for public comment, 85 FR 32055, https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-11453, which solicits feedback on the 
various other efforts associated with our mandate.

Topic Areas for Comment and Recommendations

    The following list of topics represents various areas about which 
the Commission seeks comments. It is not intended to limit topics that 
may be addressed by respondents, but rather focus attention on key 
areas the Commission has identified as relevant to catalyzing AI 
innovation, expanding the national security innovation base, and making 
it easier for firms to do business with the federal government. While 
the Commission welcomes comments on obstacles and barriers in the 
current system, it will prioritize inputs relative to these topics that 
make specific recommendations in any or all of the following areas: 
Statute, regulation, policy, budget, organization, and culture.

Specific Questions To Address

     What are the challenges or obstacles you face in seeking 
to do business with the Federal Government, to include scaling 
successful solutions? What changes could be made to reduce or remove 
those challenges or obstacles?
     How do you weigh the tradeoffs between accepting financing 
from U.S. firms versus foreign firms? What role could the U.S. 
Government play in connecting U.S. firms with trusted investors in the 
United States and allied countries?
     When is the Federal Government a compelling customer? When 
is it not? What steps could the Federal Government take to become a 
more compelling customer?
     How could the government better communicate (1) national 
security challenges to industry and (2) opportunities for industry to 
demonstrate and iterate potential solutions? How could the government 
structure engagements with industry to foster innovative and unexpected 
solutions?
     If your firm were to initiate or expand its national 
security or national interest work, what large capital investments over 
the next 24 months would your firm consider making in the United 
States? How much financial support and in what form (e.g., non-dilutive 
capital, loan guarantees, equity stakes, or other financial 
instruments) would be required from the U.S. government to undertake 
those investments?
     What would you hope to gain from temporary talent 
exchanges between the Federal Government and industry? What are the 
challenges or obstacles in conducting such exchanges and how would you 
recommend they be overcome?
     How can industry and the Federal Government better 
collaborate through all stages of product development to safeguard 
against bias in AI systems?
     How can the Federal Government incentivize responsible AI 
development through acquisition?\1\
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    \1\ In the Second Quarter Recommendations Memo, the Commission 
proposed ``Key Considerations for Responsible Development & Fielding 
of AI'' and recommended standards and practices that would apply 
both to systems developed by departments and agencies, as well as 
those that are acquired (including Commercial off-the-shelf systems 
or those developed by contractors). See Key Considerations for 
Responsible Development & Fielding of Artificial Intelligence, 
National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, pg. 6 (July 
22, 2020), https://www.nscai.gov/reports.

    Dated: September 17, 2020.
Michael Gable,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2020-20922 Filed 9-22-20; 8:45 am]
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