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Fact Sheets

Artificial Intelligence for the American People

Infrastructure & Technology

Issued on:

PRIORITIZING FUNDING FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D): The Trump Administration has prioritized funding for fundamental AI research and computing infrastructure, machine learning, and autonomous systems.

  • The Federal Government’s investment in unclassified R&D for AI and related technologies has grown by over 40% since 2015, in addition to substantial classified investments across the defense and intelligence communities.
  • In the annual guidance to heads of executive departments and agencies, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the White House Office Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directed agencies to focus on emerging technologies including machine learning and autonomous systems.
  • President Trump’s FY2019 Budget Request was the first in history to designate artificial intelligence and autonomous and unmanned systems as Administration R&D priorities.

REMOVING BARRIERS TO AI INNOVATION: The Trump Administration is enabling the creation of new American industries by removing regulatory barriers to the deployment of AI-powered technologies.

  • Last September, the Department of Transportation released an update to the 2016 Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, providing non-regulatory guidance to automated vehicle developers to enable the safe integration of driverless cars onto American roadways.
  • In October, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to permit States and localities to conduct innovative commercial and public drone operations currently prohibited under FAA regulations.
  • Last month, the FDA approved the first ever AI-based device for medical diagnostics to detect diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among working-age Americans.

TRAINING THE FUTURE AMERICAN WORKFORCE: President Trump has taken Executive action to give the American worker the skills to succeed in the 21st century economy.

ACHIEVING STRATEGIC MILITARY ADVANTAGE: The Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy recognizes the need to lead in artificial intelligence, and the Department of Defense is investing accordingly.

  • President Trump’s National Security Strategy was the first in history to specifically call out the importance of AI for the future of the American military.
  • The National Defense Strategy committed to investing broadly in military applications of autonomy, AI, and machine learning.

LEVERAGING AI FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Executive departments and agencies are applying AI to improve the provision of government services to the American people.

  • The President’s Management Agenda calls for using automation software to improve efficiency of government services and maximizing Federal data sharing with the American public, which will support non-Federal AI research applications.
  • The General Services Administration is conducting pilot programs that leverage AI, including a tool to predict regulatory compliance that is scheduled for production in cloud.gov this year.

LEADING INTERNATIONAL AI NEGOTIATIONS: White House OSTP led U.S. delegations to the 2017 and 2018 G7 Innovation and Technology Ministerials, and is working with our allies to recognize the potential benefits of AI and promote AI R&D.