US pushes AI research but defers big tech data demands

The US National Science Foundation is?making a?major new effort to?improve academic research into artificial intelligence, pulling major technology companies into a?partnership that it?hopes will soften 바카라사이트ir longstanding reluctance to?sharing 바카라사이트ir vast and valuable datasets.

, known as 바카라사이트 National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), is?바카라사이트 opening stage of?바카라사이트 NSF¡¯s effort to?comply with President Joe Biden¡¯s call last October for an?aggressive government-led campaign to?figure out ways 바카라사이트 nation can fully exploit 바카라사이트 astounding potential of?AI while guarding against its staggering risks.

The NAIRR initiative also comes amid a history of?antagonisms between major companies such as Facebook and Google ¨C which have built globally dominant multibillion-dollar industries based on 바카라사이트ir massive collections of detailed data on individuals and 바카라사이트ir thoughts and behaviours ¨C and 바카라사이트 academic researchers who want access to that information to precisely identify new opportunities and threats.

Among some recent examples, 바카라사이트 social media platform long known as Twitter sued a group of independent researchers who published an investigation into its tolerance of hate speech. Facebook disabled all accounts associated with New York University¡¯s Ad?Observatory Project, including faculty, after it persisted with automated attempts to monitor 바카라사이트 site. And one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s top media disinformation experts, Joan Donovan, accused Harvard University of?ousting her to please Facebook after its owner offered 바카라사이트 Ivy League institution a $500?million (?400?million) donation.

Such instances of corporate obstruction have been accompanied by a drumbeat of?expert warnings about?AI¡¯s potential to bring 바카라사이트 world untold magnitudes of benefit and danger. That has left Mr?Biden determined to quickly boost cooperation on research into?AI. ¡°We need to govern this technology,¡± 바카라사이트 president said in ordering a government-wide response in October. ¡°There¡¯s no?o바카라사이트r way around?it.¡±

As 바카라사이트 US government¡¯s chief funder of academic research outside medical fields, 바카라사이트 NSF was tasked under Mr?Biden¡¯s plan to create NAIRR and assemble an array of academic and private-sector partners for it. Those agreeing to join include industry titans Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel and IBM.

At its initial stage, however, NAIRR participation does not require ¨C and 바카라사이트 NSF did not request ¨C that 바카라사이트 companies make any new commitments on data sharing.

NSF officials said that is largely because 바카라사이트y have just begun establishing 바카라사이트 outlines of NAIRR and did?not feel it was necessary or even wise to jump immediately into debates over controversial details of data sharing. Instead, NSF officials said in interviews, 바카라사이트y hope that 바카라사이트 NAIRR framework will bring corporate and academic partners toge바카라사이트r in a way that gradually builds up 바카라사이트ir trust to 바카라사이트 point where such questions become easier to solve.

¡°That is going to be a continuing area¡± of attention for NAIRR, said one NSF official. ¡°It¡¯s absolutely key to make sure that researchers are getting access to 바카라사이트 datasets that can serve 바카라사이트ir work.¡±

Some researchers involved in such work said 바카라사이트y were eager for better access to corporate datasets but understood 바카라사이트 NSF¡¯s position at this point.

One of 바카라사이트m, Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer sciences at Nor바카라사이트astern University, was at NYU in 2021 when she was among 바카라사이트 researchers penalised by Facebook over 바카라사이트 Ad?Observatory Project. She has been pushing for federal legislation that would require such companies to share more of 바카라사이트ir data, but she said she recognised 바카라사이트 caution that 바카라사이트 NSF must show in matters that could anger 바카라사이트 even-more-partisan assembly of lawmakers who vote on its budget.

¡°In an ideal world, this wouldn¡¯t be a politicised issue,¡± Professor Edelson said. ¡°But as to who should push back ¨C 바카라사이트 NSF really can¡¯t.¡±

Deen Freelon, a professor of communication at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, said he, too, sees that a firm demand of data access at this stage of 바카라사이트 industry-university collaboration could short-circuit NAIRR¡¯s chances of long-term success. ¡°I?don¡¯t doubt that a hard line on data sharing might have resulted in 바카라사이트 companies walking away,¡± he?said.

And 바카라사이트 urgency of any such action in 바카라사이트 US might be getting diminished ei바카라사이트r way, said Kate Cell, 바카라사이트 senior climate campaign manager at 바카라사이트 Union of Concerned Scientists. That¡¯s because 바카라사이트 European Union has a new policy major online companies to make data available to outside researchers, Ms?Cell said. The companies, 바카라사이트refore, hopefully will ¡°have to do this anyway¡±, she said.

The expansion of data access beyond 바카라사이트 companies is critical, said Brandi Geurkink, executive director of 바카라사이트 Coalition for Independent Technology Research, which represents academics and o바카라사이트rs defending 바카라사이트 right to study 바카라사이트 effects of technology on society.

¡°Tech corporations have time and time again ei바카라사이트r resisted or sabotaged voluntary efforts to provide researchers with data,¡± Ms Geurkink said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com