On 1 January 2021, the National AI Initiative Act of 2020 became law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The National AI Initiative Act calls for regular updates to the National AI R&D Strategic Plan to include “goals, priorities, and metrics for guiding and evaluating how the agencies carrying out the National AI Initiative will support AI research. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requested input from the public on potential revisions to the strategic plan related to AI R&D. On 4 March 2022, GCRI responded to a Request for Information (RFI) and submitted this comment to the OSTP on updating the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan.
GCRI supports the eight strategic aims of the National AI R&D Strategic Plan 2019 update and submitted recommendations for seven of the strategic aims. GCRI’s suggestions emphasize ethics, diversity, and inclusion throughout the field of AI R&D in order to reduce risks to humans and the environment. These suggestions are informed by and draw upon GCRI’s ongoing research on AI ethics and governance, which emphasize synergies between the governance needs for near-term and long-term AI issues.