Administration Projects Agencies Will Spend $1 Billion on Artificial Intelligence Next Year

The federal government plans to spend almost $1 billion in nondefense artificial intelligence research and development in fiscal 2020, according to a supplemental report to the president's budget request. "The U.S. has pushed the boundaries for computational power, we have given our innovators the freedom to thrive, and today we can proudly say America continues to be the leader in artificial intelligence," federal Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios said Tuesday at a Center for Data Innovation event. "This new supplement report demonstrates just how diverse and extensive our efforts are." The figure indicates a weighty increase from 2016--when all agencies, including defense, collectively spent about $1 billion on AI. However, immediately after Kratsios' announcement, industry experts and former federal officials weighed in on what more needs to be done to secure and sustain American leadership in AI across the global technological landscape.