119th (2025–2027)
S. 5050
This bill directs the National Science Foundation to award grants to colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations to expand artificial intelligence research capacity and workforce development, with a focus on institutions that currently have limited AI research programs. Eligible recipients include schools that aren't among the top 100 federally funded research institutions, as well as historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions. Grant funds can support activities like hiring AI faculty, developing graduate preparation programs, providing computing resources for AI research, holding workshops between academia and industry, and integrating AI safety principles into education programs. The legislation emphasizes geographic diversity and supporting underrepresented groups, including first-generation students, in AI research and careers. The bill does not specify funding amounts or implementation timelines, leaving those details to be determined through the appropriations process.