[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 81 (Tuesday, April 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17835-17836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07332]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Information on the Development of a 2025 National
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research and Development (R&D) Strategic
Plan
AGENCY: Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
(NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO), National Science
Foundation.
ACTION: Request for Information.
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SUMMARY: On behalf of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP), the Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development (NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO) welcomes input
from all interested parties on how the previous administration's
National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic
Plan (2023 Update) can be rewritten so that the United States can
secure its position as the unrivaled world leader in artificial
intelligence by performing R&D to accelerate AI-driven innovation,
enhance U.S. economic and national security, promote human flourishing,
and maintain the United States' dominance in AI while focusing on the
Federal government's unique role in AI research and development (R&D)
over the next 3 to 5 years. Through this Request for Information (RFI),
the NITRD NCO encourages the contribution of ideas from the public,
including AI researchers, industry leaders, and other stakeholders
directly engaged in or affected by AI R&D. Responses previously
submitted to the RFI on the Development of an AI Action Plan will also
be considered in updating the National AI R&D Strategic Plan.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
11:59 p.m. (ET) on May 29, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. NSF-2025-
OGC-0001, at https://www.regulations.gov. For comments submitted at
Regulations.gov, follow the online instructions for submitting
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from
Regulations.gov.
Email: Docket ID No. NSF-2025-OGC-0001.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or
institution is requested to submit only one response. Submissions
should ideally be 2 pages but not exceed 10 pages in 12 point or larger
font, with a page number provided on each page. Responses must include
the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment and the
following statement: ``This document is approved for public
dissemination. The document contains no business-proprietary or
confidential information. Document contents may be reused by the
government in developing the 2025 National AI R&D Strategic Plan and
associated documents without
[[Page 17836]]
attribution.'' Responses to this RFI are subject to release under the
Freedom of Information Act and may be posted online at https://www.nitrd.gov/. Therefore, we request that no business proprietary
information, copyrighted information, or sensitive personally
identifiable information be submitted as part of your response to this
RFI.
In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding
contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated
with responding to this RFI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Faisal D'Souza at [email protected] or (202) 459-9674. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except for U.S. Federal
Government holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal government plays a critical role
in supporting AI R&D in areas where private sector investment is
insufficient or where national interests require government leadership.
Many foundational breakthroughs in AI, such as neural networks and
reinforcement learning, originated from government-funded research
before becoming commercially viable. Industry tends to focus on near-
term applications that promise immediate returns, while critical areas
such as AI for national security, public infrastructure resilience, and
scientific discovery often require long-term investment with uncertain
commercial payoffs. By prioritizing areas of foundational research, the
government plays a vital role in maintaining America's technological
leadership and ensuring that AI development serves broad public
interests rather than being driven solely by near-term market forces.
On January 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14179
(Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence)
to establish U.S. policy for sustaining and enhancing America's AI
dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic
competitiveness, and national security. This Order directs the
development of an AI Action Plan to advance America's AI leadership, in
a process led by the Assistant to the President for Science and
Technology, the White House AI and Crypto Czar, and the National
Security Advisor. The 2025 National AI R&D Strategic Plan will be
aligned with the AI Action Plan.
The 2025 National AI R&D Strategic Plan will identify the Federal
strategic priorities for AI research and development, with particular
attention on areas that industry is unlikely to address. These areas
might need prioritization by government because they serve national
interests but may not provide immediate commercial returns, making them
less attractive for private-sector funding. Respondents to this RFI are
encouraged to articulate research needs and development challenges in
AI that the Federal government should prioritize over the next 3 to 5
years, along with ideas for novel mechanisms for research partnerships
with industry and/or academia.
Examples of areas in which Federal AI R&D investments could be
prioritized may include, but are not limited to: fundamental advances
in AI algorithms, architectures, mathematical foundations and computing
paradigms that may not have immediate commercial applications, aiming
at maintaining U.S. AI leadership into the future; high-risk, high-
reward AI research relevant for domains critical to future U.S.
competitiveness, including human-AI interaction; research on next-
generation AI hardware and architectures beyond deep learning; AI
research for accelerating fundamental scientific discovery and
technological breakthroughs in areas where private-sector investment is
insufficient; advances in AI systems capable of reasoning,
adaptability, and robustness in dynamic environments; research into AI
standards, security and reliability; AI research for national security
and critical infrastructure; advances in agentic and physically
embodied AI with strategic competitiveness implications; infrastructure
support for the AI research and development community; advances in AI
applications in cybersecurity and cyberspace operations beyond those of
commercial use; advances in AI for public sector and government
applications; and research on AI systems and education supporting
American workers and improving workforce productivity. Many other
research areas could also be relevant.
Public input in response to this RFI, as well as responses
previously submitted to the RFI on the Development of an AI Action Plan
(90 FR 9088), will inform OSTP and NITRD NCO in developing the 2025
National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic
Plan to reflect the Administration's commitment to fostering an
environment where AI can thrive as a driver of economic growth,
technological advancement, human flourishing, and national security.
Submitted by the National Science Foundation in support of the
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD)
National Coordination Office (NCO) on April 24, 2025.
(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1861, et seq.)
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2025-07332 Filed 4-28-25; 8:45 am]
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