In partnership with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense has co-funded the creation of a new addition to the former’s National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes initiative.
The $10 million award will support the institute’s team, which is dedicated to progressing unified research in artificial and natural intelligence, in studying brain functions and trustworthy AI development, the DOD announced on Friday.
Bindu Nair, director of the Basic Research Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said that the growing understanding of AI has “transformed the fields of biology and neuroscience” while knowledge surrounding cognition in nature has contributed to progress in the AI field.
“Continued advancement in these areas holds the potential to deliver significant economic impact and further improvements in quality of life,” she added.
A multi-university team led by Columbia University was selected from 15 proposals to receive the funds. In total, the award will amount to approximately $20 million over five years. The institute’s researchers will study the intersection of advancements in neural, biological and cognitive processes and models and mechanisms used in AI development.
The NSF institutes program is intended to drive long-term, high-reward research regarding various AI-related themes, such as next-generation cybersecurity, climate-smart agriculture and forestry, trustworthy AI and AI-augmented learning. This award falls under the program’s DOD-sponsored focus area, which centers the neural and cognitive foundations of AI.
