[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18590-18591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05357]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 51 / Thursday, March 14, 2024 / 
Notices  

[[Page 18590]]



AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT


Global AI Research Agenda

AGENCY: U.S. Agency for International Development.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The United States Agency for International Development and the 
U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with the Department of 
Energy and the National Science Foundation, seek information to assist 
in carrying out responsibilities under Executive Order 14110 (https://www.federalregister.gov/executive-order/14110) on Safe, Secure, and 
Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence issued on 
October 30, 2023. Specifically, the E.O. directs USAID and the State 
Department to publish a Global AI Research Agenda to guide the 
objectives and implementation of AI-related research in contexts beyond 
United States borders.

DATES: Comments containing information in response to this notice must 
be received on or before April 10, 2024. Submissions received after 
that date may not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
    Sent as an attachment to [email protected] in any of the 
following unlocked formats: HTML; ASCII; Word; RTF; Unicode, or .pdf.
    Written comments may be submitted by mail to: USAID, IPI/ITR/T, Rm. 
2.12-213, RRB, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.
    Response to this RFI is voluntary. Submissions must not exceed 10 
pages (when printed) in 12-point or larger font, with a page number 
provided on each page. Please include your name, organization's name 
(if any), and cite ``Global AI Research Agenda'' in all correspondence.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of 
the referenced materials. All comments and submissions, including 
attachments and other supporting materials, will become part of the 
public record and subject to public disclosure.
    USAID will not accept comments accompanied by a request that part 
or all of the material be treated confidentially because of its 
business proprietary nature or for any other reason. Therefore, do not 
submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive, 
protected, or personal information, such as account numbers, Social 
Security numbers, or names of other individuals.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this RFI contact: 
Craig Jolley, [email protected] or 1-202-712-5536.
    Accessible Format: USAID will make the RFI available in alternate 
formats, such as Braille or large print, upon request by persons with 
disabilities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To promote safe, responsible, and rights-
affirming development and deployment of AI abroad, the Executive Order 
on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial 
Intelligence directs:
    ``The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, in collaboration with the 
Secretary of Energy and the Director of NSF, shall develop a Global AI 
Research Agenda to guide the objectives and implementation of AI-
related research in contexts beyond United States borders. The Agenda 
shall:
    (A) include principles, guidelines, priorities, and best practices 
aimed at ensuring the safe, responsible, beneficial, and sustainable 
global development and adoption of AI; and
    (B) address AI's labor-market implications across international 
contexts, including by recommending risk mitigations.''
    USAID and the State Department are seeking information to assist in 
carrying out this action.
    The rapid development of AI technologies is taking place in a 
highly-connected global context, in which funding, data, talent, and 
computing resources flow across borders to create globally-sourced 
products with global audiences. Building a safe, secure, trustworthy 
global AI ecosystem will require robust international collaboration and 
thorough understanding of the global impacts of AI technologies.
    As a result, the Global AI Research Agenda has three interrelated 
goals:
     First, to leverage robust research collaborations to 
promote the safe, responsible, beneficial, and sustainable development 
of AI technologies around the world. This will require understanding of 
the best practices for building international partnerships, and using 
these partnerships to promote responsible research practices.
     Second, to outline important areas of inquiry for the 
study of AI's human impacts in a global context. Given the rapid 
development of AI technology, we are still at an early stage of 
understanding how it may reshape our economies, societies, and selves. 
Because AI's reach is inherently global, this inquiry needs to take a 
global perspective, understanding how the human impacts of AI are 
modulated by language, culture, geography, and socioeconomic 
development.
     Finally, to address the global labor market implications 
of AI. While many leading AI companies are based in the United States 
and other wealthy countries of the Global North, necessary inputs such 
as data labeling and human-feedback training involve workers in much 
more diverse settings. Similarly, the availability of commercial APIs 
and open-source models make the outputs of AI accessible around the 
world, potentially leading to unpredictable changes in the quantity, 
profitability, and nature of work.
    The Global AI Research Agenda drafting committee is currently 
working with the following high-level structure for the Agenda. We 
welcome public input on this high-level structure, in particular 
whether other topics need to be emphasized in order to address the 
three goals above.

 International Research Principles
 AI Research Best Practices
 AI Research Priorities
    [cir] Sociotechnical perspectives on human-AI interactions (i.e., 
research approaches situating technological systems in their social, 
cultural, and economic contexts)

[[Page 18591]]

    [cir] Advancing fundamental AI through international collaborations 
and research infrastructure
    [cir] Applications of AI to address global challenges: climate, 
food security, health, etc.
    [cir] Global perspectives on AI misuse: surveillance, information 
integrity, gender-based violence
    [cir] Advancing safe, secure, inclusive, and trustworthy AI
 Labor Market Implications and risk mitigation

    In considering information for submission, respondents are 
encouraged to review resources that USAID, State Department, DOE, and 
NSF have developed or coordinated with partners to develop in the past:

 USAID Digital Ecosystem Framework
 USAID AI Action Plan
 Reflecting the Past, Shaping the Future: Making AI Work for 
International Development
 OECD Working Party on AI Governance
 Global Partnership on AI
 OECD Recommendation on AI
 Hiroshima Process Code of Conduct for Organizations Developing 
Advanced AI Systems
 National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development 
Strategic Plan

1. Questions for the Global AI Research Agenda

    USAID and State Department are interested in receiving information 
pertinent to any or all of the topics described below. Respondents may 
provide information on one or more of the topics in this RFI and may 
elect not to address every topic.
    Please answer based on your experience, the positions of your 
organization, or research you have encountered or conducted. Where 
possible, please cite the source of your information or note when 
personal views are expressed.
    Information that is specific and actionable is of special interest. 
Copyright protections of materials, if any, should be clearly noted. 
USAID and the State Department are especially interested in the 
perspectives of those living and/or working in emerging economies, 
though responses are welcome from anyone.
     Research best practices: What sorts of guidelines, 
practices, or institutional arrangements can help various research 
stakeholders (universities, corporate R&D centers, conferences, 
journals, etc.) ensure that AI research is safe, ethical, and sensitive 
to global contexts?
    [cir] In particular, what criteria and frameworks are currently 
being used by AI conferences, publications, and funders?
     International engagement: What types of international 
research partnerships have been most effective in ensuring alignment on 
safe, secure, and trustworthy AI? What types have been challenging?
     Foundation models: How might research and engagement best 
practices differ between the developers of foundation models and 
``downstream'' users of these models? What do users want and need from 
foundation model developers?
     Human impacts: What considerations are most important for 
safe and ethical research into the human impacts of AI systems (e.g., 
mental health, labor displacement, bias and discrimination)? How do 
these considerations vary in different global contexts?
     Enabling infrastructure: What are the best strategies to 
ensure access to computing resources, data, and other prerequisites for 
AI research?
     Global equity considerations: How might these best 
practices or strategies look different for partnerships in developed 
economies and those involving emerging economies? How might best 
practices differ for different types of partnerships (academic, private 
sector, government, public-private etc.)?
    Authority: Executive Order 14110 of Oct. 30, 2023.

Sabeen V. Dhanani,
Deputy Director, Technology Division, Innovation, Technology & Research 
Hub (ITR), Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 2024-05357 Filed 3-13-24; 8:45 am]
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