U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee of North Carolina has introduced the HBCU Artificial Intelligence Research Leadership Act to provide federal funding to HBCUs to establish artificial intelligence research institutes.
If passed, the legislation would require 10 percent of the research institutes established through the National Science Foundation’s National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program to be operated by, or in partnership with, an HBCU. The act is endorsed by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Payne Research Center, Alabama A&M University, the Atlanta University Center Consortium, and the Universities Space Research Association’s HBCU Science and Technology Council.
“This legislation expands access to cutting-edge research, strengthens the AI workforce pipeline, and creates high-quality jobs and economic opportunity in communities that have too often been left out of major federal investments,” said Congresswoman Foushee. “By ensuring HBCUs are full partners in our national AI research network, we are building a more equitable innovation economy and ensuring that the talent and excellence at our HBCUs help lead the future of artificial intelligence.”
