U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) applauded action by the U.S. Senate to include $10 million in initial funding to establish the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (USAISI).
The approval is part of a six-bill funding package approved by the Senate on March 7 that included the fiscal year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, S. 2321, the measure that contained the proposed initial funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s USAISI.
President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the $460 billion package of spending bills approved by the Senate in time to avoid a shutdown of many key federal agencies. The legislation’s success gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for the 2024 budget year as they work on a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded by a March 22 deadline.
Sen. Young, Sen. Rounds, and U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) — who earlier this year jointly urged the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to support funding the USAISI — last week issued a joint statement commending Senate passage of the larger funding package.
“We are pleased that initial funding for the USAISI is included in this appropriations package,” said the lawmakers. “The rapid advancement of AI innovation has brought forth immense possibilities and opportunities.”
With such advancements, they added, comes potential challenges and risks that must be addressed in a safe manner.
“USAISI’s work will be critical to ensuring AI technologies are developed in a manner that reflects our shared democratic values and supports American industry,” said Sen. Young, Sen. Rounds, and their colleagues.
The U.S. Commerce Department announced the creation of USAISI in November 2023 as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the nation’s global leadership in setting standards for AI innovation and use.
The funding will be used to enhance the USAISI team with experts in red teaming and capability evaluation, support the formation of a Joint Research Center for advancing AI system evaluation techniques and safety research, and support the USAISI Consortium that will play a crucial role in integrating these advancements into industry and society, according to the senators.
“The USAISI will provide a dedicated platform for research, collaboration, and implementation of safety measures in AI development,” the senators said.