White House Announces Creation of AI and Quantum Research Institutes

The White House today detailed the establishment of 12 new research institutes focused on AI and quantum information science. Agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have committed to investing tens of millions of dollars in centers intended to serve as nodes for AI and quantum computing study. From a report: Laments over the AI talent shortage in the U.S. have become a familiar refrain. While higher education enrollment in AI-relevant fields like computer science has risen rapidly in recent years, few colleges have been able to meet student demand, due to a lack of staffing. In June, the Trump administration imposed a ban on U.S. entry for workers on certain visas -- including for high-skilled H-1B visa holders, an estimated 35% of whom have an AI-related degree -- through the end of the year. And Trump has toyed with the idea of suspending the Optional Practical Training program, which allows international students to work for up to three years in the U.S. after they graduate.

This week's announcement might be perceived as an effort to shift attention from immigration toward domestic progress. However, it should be noted that $1 billion falls on the conservative side of the AI investment spectrum. When U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios revealed last September that U.S. government agencies requested nearly $1 billion in nondefense AI research spending for the fiscal year ending in September 2020, representatives from Intel, Nvidia, and IEEE said the U.S. would need to set aside more for AI R&D.

August

[hcs_$reboot]

This is the August surprise!

Re:

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

September surprise: grand opening of Ilvermorny School of the Dark Arts and Crafts.

First project...

[fustakrakich]

The study of the mass psychosis that made Trump president of the United States

Too LATE

[bussdriver]

Canada is #1 and anybody who makes it easier should be able to snag all the good AI people over to their country.

AI won't make up for the low intelligence of levels of Americans... who don't realize computers are to blame for their job losses over the last decade and that was just the beginning.

I can get behind this but...

[random_nickname_pls]

this being Trump, I need to wait until somebody figures how how this is a grift.

Re:

[jythie]

Spend some time writing grant proposals or answering various calls for research, and the grift vector will become obvious. The process heavily favors groups who can afford dedicated spin-meisters who know how to sell themselves to reviewers, get the grants, and never produce anything that works.

Re:

[burtosis]

Dear god, this tired trope again? FFS I spent a significant amount of my graduate time assisting in writing grants so that our lab could get some basic funding, peanuts. We kept joking we should quit being research assistants because McDonald’s actually paid better per hour, it wasn’t abnormal to spend 60 hours per week on just lab related work being paid for 20 and that didn’t include ongoing coursework. Many of my coworkers left for industry to make 2,3,4 even 5 times the money to st

Re:

[jythie]

Thing is, who were you competing against? If you were only writing for grants against other small university labs for small amounts that is one thing. I work in a small lab that competes against private companies for grant money, and that really ups things. Many of the grants we go for start around half a million (the university keeps about 60%, and the professor takes home a chunk on top of their usual pay), so the money can really be non trivial... and for many grants we end up having to partner with

Re:

[burtosis]

The professor pocketed grant money? I’m not sure how that isn’t a direct ethics violation, if not outright illegal. Yes we did compete with private companies on some, but that was a minority. The only way the university got any money from the grant at all was in the form of rent for lab space, and funding to provide salaries for labor, but at no point was it on top of any existing salary. The largest grant my department was involved in was an ARPA grant for 5 million dollars, but this was sp

Re:

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

They have a dedicated number of hours to work. Who fills each roll, foe various pay grades and hours is part of it.

The principle investigator, PI, gets a good rate to be sure, but he has to work those hours in theory doing stuff, and isn't pocketing it. Iirc the government allows you a 12% profit margin as well.

Re:

[burtosis]

Psshhtt. Yes, that’s true, but everyone including the PI I saw, including other departments and grants and project heads, was putting in way more hours than were being paid for. The PI on my project actually got in a car accident, broke his neck, and refused to stay home and kept working against recommendations because of how many people depended on his work - with titanium bolts sticking out of his skull bolted into a halo of metal. This is because everyone was motivated to make the project as suc

Re:

[NoNonAlphaCharsHere]

This being Trump, we know it's a grift, we just haven't figured out how yet.

Perhaps he'll declare himself the NIST source of quantum randomness or something.

Re:

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

My biggest goal these past 10 years is convincing partisans it's all about grift, not just "the other guys".

Relatives get mysteriously rich, wrongoing is rarely found. How can you find tit for tat when not a word need be spoken, you just hire them for a great salary and bask in the warm glow of appreciation? Regulators know they can walk into a million dollar a year position after they resign or administrations shift.

Re:

[spitzak]

It will have all the same problems as any other government grant program to businesses, but those are produced by both parties. I generally favor Trump's opposition to H1-B, to be honest those H1-B "AI experts" likely know nothing more about AI than the American college graduates that the companies are claiming they cannot use. They don't care one bit about actual skill or knowledge, they want the H1-B because they are cheaper.

PS: I greatly dislike Trump but that does not mean he manages to do everything wr

And yet, this is a Trump == Bad posting

[RogueWarrior65]

Sorry folks, but the Chinese have been stealing US IP for decades. I have no problem locking them out of this project. Besides, this should encourage American STEM students to pursue this topic and get degrees in it.

Re:And yet, this is a Trump == Bad posting

[jythie]

Yet they don't. I'm wrapping up a project with a bunch of students right now. When we put out a call for hires, only ONE who responded was a US citizen, and he didn't even want to work the whole summer. Protectionism doesn't encourage people to step up and work harder, it just makes finding hard working people more difficult.

I seriously read that as Q-Anon instead of Quantum

[sweintraub]

My brain may need a rest from twitter.

Great achievement

[Anonymous Coward]

From @RealDonaldTrump on twitter:

Tim Allen. Big supporter of mine, loved Home Improvement! But whatever happened to Al? No one knows! That's why I've ordered the creation of an Al research institute so we can find him and make local Michigan public access television great again!

And:

Mike Pence keeps telling me we have to stop abortions. And since we know young pretty girls can't help but be attracted to rich, powerful men (believe me, I should know) I've ordered another agency to begin research into more effective quantoms. This is for all those Suburban Housewives out there, too! @JerryFalwellJr

USA is kinda late I am afraid, but can catch up...

[bogaboga]

I must admit that the USA is up there with respect to AI discoveries. But of what real use is discovery without implementation? Here is where China shines and they aren't about to relinquish the helm.

In implementation, the Chinese are facilitated by the following attributes:

1: Speed

2: Execution

3: Quality of product

4: Data and its management

5: Government support

To see what I mean, one only needs to see technology at work at China's Daxing airport. The USA has nothing even close. Not even on the drawing board!! That's how we ended up grassing in 5G, while China now has whole cities reaping the benefits of 5G.

Anyone remember the story around the USA/the transistor and Japan in the late 60s?

Sad...but true...

Re:

[Fly Swatter]

Sadly what we have now is all red tape, lawyers, and greed. Plus politicians can't even get along for a day to save it's citizens.

:( :(

Well at least it isn't rounding up citizens it doesn't like.

Re:

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Historically, new empires form on the outskirts of the old, and the old ones collapse, having turned to lording over their own rather than keeping the trade routes open.

When new disruptive technology comes along, the disruptees complain to politicians, who launch slogans to capture "useful idiots" (a technical term, look it up) and shut it down just like any protection racket does.

There's more to freedom than freedom of speech and religion. There's freedom of action so government people simply cannot get i

Damn Trump...

[cygnusvis]

and his... *shuffles deck*... pro science adgenda!

THERE. IS. NO. AI!

[BAReFO0t]

Get that in your thick skulls, you insane retards!

There are universal functions using finely tuned tensors! Stop raping the term like you raped "hacker" and "Internet" (not WWW!) and "PC" ....!

So much for capitalism

[oh_my_080980980]

Nothing, repeat nothing is stopping these corporation from spending money on AI. Oh wait, that's right, investors.

So tax payers need to pick up the slack from these freeloaders. Socialize the losses and privatize the profits, right corporate America. Make tax payers pay for the research which then you take and profit from.

Capitalism wow.