Press Releases

Today, U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-16), Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10), Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), and Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, introduced the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023 (CREATE AI Act). The CREATE AI Act establishes the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) as a shared national research infrastructure that provides AI researchers and students from diverse backgrounds with greater access to the complex resources, data, and tools needed to develop safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Senate companion.

“AI offers incredible possibilities for our country, but access to the high-powered computational tools needed to conduct AI research is limited to only a few large technology companies. By establishing the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), my bipartisan CREATE AI Act provides researchers from universities, nonprofits, and government with the powerful tools necessary to develop cutting-edge AI systems that are safe, ethical, transparent, and inclusive. Diversifying and expanding access to AI systems is crucial to maintain American leadership in frontier AI that will bolster our national security, enhance our economic competitiveness, and spur groundbreaking scientific research that benefits the public good,” said Rep. Eshoo.

“To maintain United States leadership over our adversaries in technology, including AI, we must unleash the full potential of American innovation. The legislation will open up resources to allow more great American minds to work together to develop smart, safe, and secure AI,” said Rep. McCaul. “I’m proud to join my AI Caucus colleagues on this bill that will help protect our national security and maintain our nation’s competitive edge.”

“This bill would provide a fantastic resource for researchers, educators, and even students like me to learn how to use artificial intelligence and have access to high-quality, well-sourced data. This bill also builds off the National Secure Data Service pilot that I was proud to secure as part of the CHIPS & Science Act, passed last year,” said Rep. Beyer. “I am thrilled to be part of its bipartisan, bicameral introduction, and look forward to seeing the increased access to high-tech resources that the CREATE AI Act will provide.”

“The best way to enable America to lead the way in the AI revolution is to ensure that both students and entrepreneurs have access to the tools needed to test, develop, and create new AI-backed technologies,” said Rep. Obernolte. “Our CREATE AI Act, and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource it creates, will extend that ability beyond big technology companies, helping America’s small-tech innovators better create technology that improves the lives of all Americans.”

“We know that AI will be enormously consequential. If we develop and deploy this technology responsibly, it can help us augment our human creativity and make major scientific advances, while also preparing American workers for the jobs of the future. If we don't, it could threaten our national security, intellectual property, and civil rights," said Sen. Heinrich. “The bipartisan CREATE AI Act will help us weigh these challenges and unleash American innovation by making the tools to conduct important research on this cutting-edge technology available to the best and brightest minds in our country. It will also help us prepare the future AI workforce, not just for Silicon Valley companies, but for the many industry sectors that will be transformed by AI. By truly democratizing and expanding access to AI systems, we can maintain our nation’s competitive lead while ensuring these rapid advancements are a benefit to our society and country — not a threat.”

“Artificial intelligence is already integrated into nearly every facet of our lives. Recent major leaps in innovation provide great promise, but also have caused some to highlight potential risks to society. The United States cannot cede leadership in AI development, and we must harness the great potential the technology offers in order to reap its benefits and combat any potential risks. The CREATE AI Act will help us do that by establishing the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) to democratize AI safety research and serve as a testbed for the development and implementation of innovative AI practices,” said Sen. Young.  

The CREATE AI Act establishes the NAIRR, which has four primary goals:

1. Spur innovation and advance the development of safe, reliable, and trustworthy AI research and development.
2. Improve access to AI resources for researchers and students, including groups typically underrepresented in STEM.
3. Improve capacity for AI research in the United States.
4. Support the testing, benchmarking, and evaluation of AI systems developed and deployed in the United States.

The NAIRR will offer the following to researchers, educators, and students at higher education institutions, non-profits, and federally funded agencies:

1. Computational resources, including an open-source software environment and a programming interface providing structured access to AI models.
2. Data, including curated datasets of user interest and an AI data commons.
3. Educational tools and services, including educational materials, technical training, and user support.
4. AI testbeds, including a catalog of open AI testbeds and a collaborative project with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Read the full bill text HERE.

Read a fact sheet on the CREATE AI Act HERE.

Background:

In 2020, Rep. Eshoo introduced the bipartisan, bicameral NAIRR Task Force Act, which became law in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The legislation established a task force to develop a detailed roadmap for the development of a national AI resource for AI research and convened a group of technical experts across academia, government, and industry to develop a detailed roadmap for how the United States can build, deploy, govern, and sustain a national research cloud and associated research resources. This January, the NAIRR Task Force released its final report with a roadmap for standing up a national research infrastructure that would broaden access to the resources essential to AI research and development. The CREATE AI Act implements many of the recommendations of the NAIRR Task Force.

The CREATE AI Act has garnered widespread support from key AI community stakeholders, including Microsoft, TechNet, the National Science Foundation (NSF), Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), Anthropic, NewMexico.AI, and SeedAI.  

“One of the most critical investments the U.S. can make to maintain its competitive edge in AI and unleash the productivity potential of the technology is to provide access to computational resources and data for its academic and nonprofit researchers. The National AI Research Resource will ensure American leadership in responsible AI development by broadening access for researchers in academia and nonprofit organizations to have an active role in shaping the future of AI. I applaud Rep. Anna Eshoo and her colleagues for this crucially needed investment in AI,” said Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Founding Co-Director, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI).

“AI research and innovation are essential to U.S. competitiveness. The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) would increase access to computing resources and promote AI innovation and risk mitigation. We thank Senators Heinrich, Young, Booker, and Rounds, as well as Representatives McCaul, Eshoo, Beyer, and Obernolte for advancing NAIRR development through the CREATE AI Act,” said Fred Humphries, Corporate Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft.    

“I am grateful to Senators Heinrich and Rounds and Representatives McCaul and Eshoo for introducing the CREATE AI Act of 2023. As artificial intelligence plays a larger role in our economy and national defense, it is imperative that we democratize access to AI resources and cyberinfrastructure throughout the United States to maintain our competitive edge. The NAIRR is a crucial step to achieving this and will ensure that researchers throughout the Nation can participate in the vibrant AI research ecosystem and that AI technological developments benefit society. NSF looks forward to working with our agency partners and Congress to see the NAIRR realized and ensuring long-term U.S. competitiveness in AI for decades to come,” said National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.  

“We commend Senator Heinrich and Representative Eshoo on introducing the CREATE AI Act of 2023 and urge Congress to fully authorize and fund the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR). The NAIRR is a crucial initiative to sustain U.S. leadership in AI, reap its economic and societal benefits, and foster safer, more trustworthy AI systems. With AI already transforming our lives and creating the potential for enormous benefits, the United States could lose its competitive edge without strategic actions. Recommended initially by NSCAI, the NAIRR is a comprehensive initiative that will help the United States address the challenges and opportunities of AI by creating a national AI research and development infrastructure, training the next generation of AI talent, and promoting the responsible development and use of AI. We strongly support authorizing and funding the NAIRR, as advised by the task force, to fortify U.S. global AI leadership,” said former National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Commissioners Dr. Eric Schmidt, Sec. Robert O. Work, Dr. Andrew Moore, Dr. Eric Horvitz, Dr. Jose-Marie Griffiths, and Executive Director Yll Bajraktari.