U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) on July 15 proposed a bipartisan bill that aims to accelerate American science by using artificial intelligence (AI) and unique datasets to pursue breakthroughs in treating cancer, diabetes, dementia, and other serious diseases.
The Homestake AI Act of 2026, S. 4991, which is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), is the first piece of legislation introduced using feedback from Sens. Rounds and Heinrich’s American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP), a national initiative to support making American science 10 times faster by 2030.
“The Homestake AI Act would take great strides to accelerate scientific research on diseases here in the United States,” Sen. Rounds said. “Increasing the amount of data we collect from [specific] specimens could unlock cures to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and different types of cancers. I’m pleased to be unveiling our first piece of legislation related to our ASAP initiative. Thank you to everyone who provided information to make this legislation possible.”
If enacted, S. 4991 would establish a pilot program in the U.S. Department of Energy focused on the collection, cataloguing, and sequencing of whole genomes and metabolites from samples collected in unique locations, including places exposed to extreme properties or those at extreme risk of destruction in coming decades, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Rounds’ staff.
“Our Homestake AI Act will establish a new initiative at the Department of Energy that helps researchers harness the power of AI to identify, catalog, and sequence plants, animals, and microbes that may hold the secret to potential cures and treatments,” Sen. Heinrich said. “This is how we keep America at the forefront of scientific innovation while saving lives.”
Supporters of the bill include the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, the South Dakota School of Mines, the Special Competitive Studies Project Action Program, SeedAI, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Playground Global, among many others.