White House Launches AI.gov

All the federal government’s initiatives and resources around artificial intelligence can now be accessed on one dedicated website, AI.gov, which the White House launched today.

“It’s a real hub for all the AI projects being done across the agencies,” Michael Kratsios, the U.S. deputy chief technology officer within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told attendees of The Economist’s artificial intelligence event in Washington. “It really speaks to and highlights the whole government approach we’re taking to ensure American leadership in this work.”

The site features AI-focused policy initiatives and accomplishments across the federal government and also brings together governmentwide resources such as fact sheets, strategic documents, agency programs and more.

“You can really see the depth and the breadth of all the work being done, from the Transportation Department to [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] to [the National Science Foundation] and across the federal government,” Kratsios said.

The launch is part of a broader effort under the American AI Initiative, which aims to accelerate America’s leadership in AI and was instituted by an executive order President Trump signed in February. Following the announcement of the new site, Kratsios further highlighted some of the administration’s priorities around AI.

According to Kratsios, it is critical that all financial contributions spent on the national research and development ecosystem are maximized through the strategic coordination of spending. This, he said, will help America secure its leadership in the R&D space.

“How do we make sure dollars that are being spent on R&D at the National Science Foundation are coordinated with the dollars being spent at DARPA, and those are coordinated with the dollars being spent at Department of Energy, and all the high-performance computing infrastructure at the national labs? This really puts an emphasis on prioritizing coordinating R&D spending,” Kratsios said.

The administration is also prioritizing the removal of barriers around AI innovation. Kratsios said this comes down to using America’s regulatory environment to ensure the next great AI technologies are developed and commercialized in the United States.

“Every agency has to deal with some sort of regulatory question or hurdle, so we have to think very carefully about how AI applies to the regulatory process,” he said.

The “third, and probably the most important” priority is a sharp focus on supporting the American worker. He said the government needs to address the impacts that the rise of automation and artificial intelligence will have on the economy and workforce.

“We need to make sure that the American worker is prepared for the jobs of the future,” he said. “And we need to make sure [workers] are reskilled and retrained for [evolving jobs] and that there’s a pipeline of AI talent that continues to be the fuel for the next great discoveries.”

Ultimately, the most important thing for the federal government to do in the realm of AI is to set an example for others across the globe, he said.

“As we continue to have, and encourage, and drive and support the greatest technological ecosystem in the world, I think we want to continue to serve as a shining example for the entire world on how technology should be developed and deployed in a way that’s true to American values,” Kratsios said.