- The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science will collaborate to support the Genesis Mission through AI initiatives
- The memorandum of understanding between the agencies involve accelerating AI technologies to address the mission’s challenges
- The collaboration aims to boost U.S. manufacturing as well as productivity in domestic science and engineering
The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to jointly pursue the advancement of artificial intelligence in support of the Genesis Mission, a White House-led initiative centered on using AI to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering over the next decade.
The collaboration will focus on areas where both agencies bring established expertise, including quantum science, biotechnology and materials design and discovery.
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What Are NIST’s Initiatives Under the Genesis Mission?
NIST plans to carry out two of its Genesis Mission efforts through its Centers for AI in Manufacturing and Critical Infrastructure, a public-private partnership with MITRE.
The first initiative, NIST’s AI Economic Security Center for U.S. Manufacturing Productivity, is designed to speed the development and deployment of AI-driven autonomous agents that boost U.S. manufacturing output. The center uses AI-enabled “human in the loop” robotics and autonomous systems to support cost-competitive, customizable American manufacturing. Its inaugural project centers on drone production for civilian and military use, with a goal of increasing manufacturing capacity tenfold within two years.
The second initiative, NIST’s AI Economic Security Center to Secure U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Cyberthreats, aims to accelerate AI-based tools for ultra-high-speed detection and remediation of cyber threats. The center’s work is aimed at protecting infrastructure sectors from power grids to telecommunications networks and healthcare systems.
NIST said additional areas of collaboration with DOE under the MOU are still being discussed as the agencies continue to align their work with the broader goals of the Genesis Mission.
What Other AI Collaborations Have DOE and the Commerce Dept Undertaken?
Two years before the memorandum of understanding, the DOE and the Department of Commerce signed an MOU to jointly advance research and development on the safe and secure use of artificial intelligence. The Commerce Department’s role in the effort runs through NIST and its U.S. AI Safety Institute. The agreement also allows DOE and its national laboratories to lend technical expertise to NIST and AISI. Planned work under the partnership includes assessing how AI models could affect public safety, particularly risks to energy security and critical infrastructure, as well as developing and testing privacy-enhancing methods to safeguard personal and proprietary data.
