This bill would direct the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support education and professional development in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies. Key actions in the bill include:
Scholarships: NSF would award merit- or need-based undergraduate and graduate scholarships for study of AI, quantum hybrid computing, AI combined with agriculture, AI and education (teaching AI), and AI with advanced manufacturing. Undergraduate scholarships may last up to 4 years; graduate scholarships up to 3 years. Awards are written to cover tuition, education-related fees, and a stipend and are paid to the student’s institution.
Fellowships and professional development: NSF would create fellowships and professional development awards for students, teachers, faculty, and industry professionals to gain skills in AI, prompt engineering, and quantum hybrid computing. Fellowship awards cover tuition, fees, and a stipend.
Grants for agriculture: The Secretary of Agriculture, through NIFA and in collaboration with NSF, would fund land-grant colleges and universities for AI research, education resources in rural areas, and acquisition of AI tools for agriculture.
Quantum support: NSF may support scholarships and fellowships to increase exposure to quantum information science and related jobs, including temporary placements at federal labs or industry partners.
Outreach and K–12 research: NSF would run a nationwide outreach campaign prioritized for underserved and rural areas. The bill authorizes competitive, merit-reviewed awards for research on teaching AI and other emerging technologies to improve K–12 instruction, especially for low-income, rural, or Tribal students. NSF must develop guidance for introducing and using AI in elementary and secondary education within two years, in coordination with Education, IES, NIST, and OSTP.
Community college centers: NSF would designate at least 5 Community College and Vocational School Centers of AI Excellence to develop and share best practices for AI education at community colleges and vocational schools. At least 20 percent must be in EPSCoR-eligible states. These centers must be assessed and report annually to Congress. The centers program would have a 7-year sunset.
Resources and awards: NSF would make awards to state and local education agencies, institutions of higher education (including minority-serving and community colleges), and technical schools to expand access to AI tools and applications, with preference for institutions that broaden geographic and demographic reach.
Grand challenges and workforce frameworks: NSF, with Labor and Education, would support prize competitions to develop ways to train large numbers of workers (for example, a goal to train 1,000,000 workers by 2030 is listed as a grand challenge). The bill also amends the NIST Act to require development and periodic updates of workforce frameworks for critical and emerging technologies, including a required AI workforce framework to be published within 540 days.
Gift acceptance and partnership rules: NSF must set criteria for accepting gifts and set principles for public-private partnerships. The criteria must verify that contributions do not come from a foreign country of concern, a foreign entity of concern, or entities meeting foreign ownership/control definitions. The bill prohibits receiving funding from such foreign countries or entities of concern under NSF gift authority.
Research security and eligibility limits: Activities must follow existing research security laws cited in the bill. NSF may not award funds to educational institutions or related nonprofits found in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act for discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics on or after January 1, 2020.
Funding condition: Most activities are authorized only if Congress appropriates sufficient funds or funds are otherwise made available.
Students: The bill would create new scholarship opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students studying AI, quantum hybrid computing, and related applications. Scholarships cover tuition, fees, and a stipend and are paid to the student’s institution.
Teachers and school leaders: The bill funds professional development, research into K–12 AI teaching methods, and guidance for using AI in elementary and secondary schools. Outreach would target underserved and rural areas.
Community colleges and vocational schools: Eligible institutions could compete to become Centers of AI Excellence and receive support to expand AI training, hands-on research, and pathways to jobs.
Employers and industry partners: The bill supports fellowships, partnerships, and workforce frameworks intended to align education and training with workplace needs, and encourages temporary placements and collaborations.
The bill describes the types of awards, durations, and that scholarships and fellowships cover tuition, fees, and stipends paid to institutions. It also says activities are subject to available funding (they only occur if Congress appropriates money or funds are otherwise made available). No publicly available information on the total federal cost or specific appropriation amounts is included in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.