National AI Research Resource must balance the value of its data with privacy

The task force developing recommendations on a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource must balance the need to provide valuable data with the increased risk it could be used to triangulate personally identifiable information, given the large number of parties expected to have access, experts say. Task force members want to include startups and small businesses developing privacy technologies among NAIRR's users, but exactly how resources, capabilities and policies would be integrated continues to be discussed, according to co-chair Manish Parashar. Members previously stated that U.S.-based researchers and students -- primarily in academia but also with companies that have received federal grants like Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer funding -- are target users of the NAIRR. Privacy technologies they're developing could help the resource protect personally identifiable information (PII). "Yes, the task force is certainly discussing how privacy-enabling technologies could help enhance the privacy aspects of NAIRR usage," Parashar told FedScoop.