President Trump signs executive order creating Genesis Mission, a national AI initiative to boost scientific research and compete with China
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday establishing the “Genesis Mission,” a national initiative to harness AI for scientific breakthroughs.
Trump compared the initiative’s scope to the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb during World War II.
The plan is part of the Trump administration’s aggressive, low-regulation strategy to boost big tech’s race to stay ahead of China on artificial intelligence.
The White House is also seeking ways to legally stop US states from implementing their own AI regulations.
The administration has threatened to rescind federal aid to states that implement their own AI regulations.
Monday’s order tasked the Department of Energy with building an integrated AI platform combining the nation’s supercomputers, federal datasets and research facilities.
This platform aims to accelerate discovery in fields ranging from nuclear fusion to semiconductor manufacturing.
“America is in a race for global technology dominance in the development of artificial intelligence,” the order stated.
It described AI as “an important frontier of scientific discovery and economic growth.”
The centerpiece is the “American Science and Security Platform,” providing researchers access to high-performance computing resources.
Researchers will also gain access to AI modeling tools and vast federal datasets to train scientific foundation models.
The platform aims to demonstrate initial operating capability within nine months for at least one major scientific challenge.
The Energy Department will draw up a list of 20 priority challenges within 60 days.
Priority domains include advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials and nuclear energy.
Quantum computing and semiconductors are also among the priority areas where the US faces growing competition from China.
The order calls for partnerships with private companies, universities and national laboratories.
It also mandates strict cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive research. – AFP
