SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

SUMMARY OF THE
2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Product of
THE WHITE HOUSE
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

MAY 10, 2018

 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Background
Artificial intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to benefit the American people, and has already
demonstrated immense value in enhancing our national security and growing our economy.

AI is quickly transforming American life and American business, improving how we diagnose and treat
illnesses, grow our food, manufacture and deliver new products, manage our finances, power our
homes, and travel from point A to point B.

On May 10, 2018, the White House hosted the Artificial Intelligence for American Industry summit, to
discuss the promise of AI and the policies we will need to realize that promise for the American people
and maintain U.S. leadership in the age of artificial intelligence.

“Artificial intelligence holds tremendous potential as a tool to empower the American

worker, drive growth in American industry, and improve the lives of the American people.
Our free market approach to scientific discovery harnesses the combined strengths of gov-
ernment, industry, and academia, and uniquely positions us to leverage this technology
for the betterment of our great nation.”
- Michael Kratsios, Deputy Assistant to the President for Technology Policy

The summit brought together over 100 senior government officials, technical experts from top aca-
demic institutions, heads of industrial research labs, and American business leaders who are adopting
AI technologies to benefit their customers, workers, and shareholders.

Summit attendees had the opportunity to participate in two sets of breakout sessions, focused on
cross-cutting issues such as AI research & development (R&D), workforce development, regulatory bar-
riers to AI innovation, and sector-specific applications of AI.

Industry sectors represented at the summit included food and agriculture, energy and manufacturing,
financial services, healthcare, and transportation and logistics. During the breakouts, Federal partici-
pants had the opportunity to hear firsthand about the latest technological breakthroughs and innova-
tive applications of AI across these sectors.

In addition to senior staff from the White House, Federal participants included senior officials from the
National Science Foundation, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Departments
of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health & Human Services, Labor, Transportation, and
Treasury.

The breadth of representation from senior officials across the Federal Government speaks to the critical
nature of this topic and highlights the commitment of the Trump Administration to leverage AI technol-
ogies across agency missions to improve the lives of Americans and enable American industry to con-
tinue to lead the world.

As the White House continues to designate AI as an Administration R&D priority, we look forward to
continued engagement with our agency partners, the private sector, and academia to inform our poli-
cies in supporting continued American technological leadership and progress for the American people.

2
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Key Takeaways
Key takeaways from breakout discussions included:

• Supporting the national AI R&D ecosystem. America is blessed with a unique R&D ecosystem
that taps into the limitless bounds of American ingenuity. Attendees discussed our free market
approach to scientific discovery that harnesses the combined strengths of government, indus-
try, and academia and examined new ways to form stronger public-private partnerships to ac-
celerate AI R&D.

• Developing the American workforce to take full advantage of the benefits of AI. AI and re-
lated technologies are creating new types of jobs and demand for new technical skills across
industries. At the same time, many existing occupations will significantly change or become ob-
solete. Attendees discussed efforts to prepare America for the jobs of the future, from a renewed
focus on STEM education throughout childhood and beyond, to technical apprenticeships, re-
skilling, and lifelong learning programs to better match America’s skills with the needs of indus-
try.

• Removing barriers to AI innovation in the United States. Overly burdensome regulations do

not stop innovation – they just move it overseas. Participants in this session addressed the im-
portance of maintaining American leadership in AI and emerging technologies, and promoting
AI R&D collaboration among America’s allies. Participants also raised the need to promote
awareness of AI so that the public can better understand how these technologies work and how
they can benefit our daily lives.

• Enabling high-impact, sector-specific applications of AI. Finally, attendees organized into

industry-specific sessions to share the novel ways industry leaders are using AI technologies to
empower the American workforce, grow their businesses, and better serve their customers.

3
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

“We stand at the birth of a new millen-

nium, ready to unlock the mysteries of
space, to free the Earth from the miseries of
disease, and to harness the energies, in-
dustries and technologies of tomorrow.”

- President Donald J. Trump

4
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

“We’re on the verge of new technological revolutions that could improve virtually every aspect
of our lives, create vast new wealth for American workers and families, and open up bold, new
frontiers in science, medicine, and communication.” – President Donald J. Trump

PRIORITIZING FUNDING FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) RESEARCH

AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D): The Trump Administration has prioritized fund-
ing for fundamental AI research and computing infrastructure, machine
learning, and autonomous systems.
• The Federal Government’s investment in unclassified R&D for AI and related technologies has
grown by over 40% since 2015, in addition to substantial classified investments across the de-
fense and intelligence communities.
• In the annual guidance to heads of executive departments and agencies, Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) and the White House Office Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directed
agencies to focus on emerging technologies including machine learning and autonomous sys-
tems.
• President Trump’s FY2019 Budget Request was the first in history to designate artificial intelli-
gence and autonomous and unmanned systems as Administration R&D priorities.

REMOVING BARRIERS TO AI INNOVATION: The Trump Administration is en-

abling the creation of new American industries by removing regulatory bar-
riers to the deployment of AI-powered technologies.
• Last September, the Department of Transportation released an update to the 2016 Federal Au-
tomated Vehicles Policy, providing non-regulatory guidance to automated vehicle developers
to enable the safe integration of driverless cars onto American roadways.
• In October, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to permit States and localities
to conduct innovative commercial and public drone operations currently prohibited under FAA
regulations.
• Last month, the FDA approved the first ever AI-based device for medical diagnostics to detect
diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among working-age Americans.

TRAINING THE FUTURE AMERICAN WORKFORCE: President Trump has

taken Executive action to give the American worker the skills to succeed in
the 21st century economy.
• Last June, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing industry-recognized ap-
prenticeships and creating a cabinet-level Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion.
• In September, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum prioritizing high-quality
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, with a particular focus on com-
puter science education, and committing $200 million in grant funds that were matched by a
private industry commitment of $300 million.

5
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

ACHIEVING STRATEGIC MILITARY ADVANTAGE: The Trump Administra-

tion’s National Security Strategy recognizes the need to lead in artificial in-
telligence, and the Department of Defense is investing accordingly.
• President Trump’s National Security Strategy was the first in history to specifically call out the
importance of AI for the future of the American military.
• The National Defense Strategy committed to investing broadly in military applications of au-
tonomy, AI, and machine learning.

LEVERAGING AI FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Executive departments and

agencies are applying AI to improve the provision of government services to
the American people.
• The President’s Management Agenda calls for using automation software to improve efficiency
of government services and maximizing Federal data sharing with the American public, which
will support non-Federal AI research applications.
• The General Services Administration is conducting pilot programs that leverage AI, including a
tool to predict regulatory compliance that is scheduled for production in cloud.gov this year.

LEADING INTERNATIONAL AI NEGOTIATIONS: White House OSTP led U.S.

delegations to the 2017 and 2018 G7 Innovation and Technology Ministerials,
and is working with our allies to recognize the potential benefits of AI and
promote AI R&D.
• In March, OSTP negotiated the 2018 G7 Innovation Ministers’ Statement on Artificial Intelli-
gence, following an AI outcome document from the 2017 G7 innovation ministerial, which rec-
ognizes the importance of AI innovation for economic growth and supports efforts to promote
trust in and adoption of AI technologies.
• The Trump Administration is also pursuing international AI R&D collaboration through agree-
ments such as the first-ever Science and Technology (S&T) agreement between the United
States and the United Kingdom and the March Joint Statement between the United States and
France on S&T cooperation.

6
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence

AI an R&D Priority for Trump Administration
• In his FY 2019 Budget Request to Congress, President Trump was the first president in history
to specifically call out artificial intelligence as an Administration R&D priority.
• As Federal Departments and Agencies spend billions of dollars annually to further research and
develop AI and related technologies, greater return on investment will require greater Federal
coordination.

Establishment of a Select Committee on AI

• In order to improve the coordination of Federal efforts related to AI and ensure continued U.S.
leadership in AI, today The White House chartered a Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence
(“Select Committee”) under the National Science and Technology Council.
• The membership of the Select Committee is comprised of the most senior R&D officials in the
Federal Government.
• The Select Committee will:
o advise The White House on interagency AI R&D priorities;
o consider the creation of Federal partnerships with industry and academia;
o establish structures to improve government planning and coordination of AI R&D; and
o identify opportunities to leverage Federal data and computational resources to support
our national AI R&D ecosystem.
• The Select Committee will also provide guidance and direction to the existing ML/AI subcom-
mittee, which will continue to serve as community of practice for Federal AI researchers.

Select Committee Membership

• The Select Committee will be chaired by The White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Defense Advanced Research Pro-
jects Agency (DARPA).
• Select Committee membership will include the most senior R&D officials of the Federal Govern-
ment, including the Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, Undersecre-
tary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Undersecretary of Energy for Science, the Di-
rector of NSF, and the Directors of DARPA and IARPA.
• The Select Committee will also include representatives from the National Security Council, the
Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, the Office of Management and Budget, and
OSTP.

7
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Remarks by Michael Kratsios, Deputy Assistant to the

President for Technology Policy

Distinguished members of academia, private in- Today, there is a rebirth. People are transforming
dustry, and the Administration, OSTP is pleased once empty factories into the cradle of America’s
to welcome you to today’s summit on Artificial In- industrial future.
telligence and American Industry.
Now there are dozens of organizations on Robot-
The advent of AI traces its roots back to over six ics Row employing hundreds of people—engi-
decades ago — when computers were the size of neers, scientists, bookkeepers, administrators.
desks and had only enough memory for a few
One of these enterprises — the ARM Institute —
pages of text.
was started with government seed funding, is
In the summer of 1956, a dozen American scien- driven by the brilliance of university faculty and
tists gathered on Dartmouth’s campus with the students, is fueled by the needs of industry, and is
goal to, quote, “find how to make machines solve devoted to creating a workforce elevated by ad-
kinds of problems now reserved for humans.” vanced manufacturing.
Considering technology at the time, their goal American AI Leadership
was audacious. But Americans have always been
It’s not just Pittsburgh. Our Nation is the best
audacious.
place on earth to innovate.
We founded the field of artificial intelligence that
According to industry studies, America not only
summer in 1956, and we’ve led the world in artifi-
has more AI startups than any other nation –
cial intelligence since.
nearly double our closest competitor – but Amer-
Now, nearly 62 years later, the age of artificial in- ica also has the most promising AI startups, with
telligence is here, and with it the hope of better three-quarters of the world’s top 100.
lives for the American people.
Meanwhile, America has more AI researchers than
As artificial intelligence transforms everything any other nation, and those researchers publish
from agriculture to manufacturing to transporta- the most impactful findings in the world.
tion — the potential for AI remains breathtaking.
Not only that, according to international studies,
But we cannot be passive. To realize the full po- the top 8 – and 13 of the top 20 – universities for
tential of AI for the American people, it will re- artificial intelligence are here in the U.S.
quire the combined efforts of industry, academia,
These universities, many of which are repre-
and government.
sented here today, will fuel AI technological
That is why we are all here today. breakthroughs for decades to come.
###### America has been the global leader in AI, and the
Trump Administration will ensure our great Na-
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Robotics
tion remains the global leader in AI.
Row—a collection of start-ups that grew out of
the ecosystem surrounding Carnegie Mellon in At the recent G7 summit, I led the U.S. delegation
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. to declare alongside our allies the importance of
investing in AI R&D and our mutual goal to in-
Pittsburgh has always been a proud, industrial
crease public trust as we adopt AI technologies.
city. But as factories closed across the Midwest,
the future looked desperate.

8
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

But I have also made clear that while America will Artificial intelligence holds the promise of great
always approach artificial intelligence prudently, benefits for American workers, with the potential
we will not hamstring American potential on the to improve safety, increase productivity, and cre-
international stage. ate new industries we can’t yet imagine.
In August of last year, OMB Director Mulvaney and However, to a certain degree job displacement is
I co-authored guidance to the heads of all execu- inevitable. But we can’t sit idle, hoping eventually
tive departments and agencies regarding the Ad- the market will sort it out.
ministration’s R&D Budget priorities.
We must do what Americans have always done:
Our guidance to agencies was clear: for the first adapt.
time in history, the memorandum prioritized R&D
President Trump will never forget the American
investment in autonomous systems, machine
worker. To ease the transition for workers and aid
learning, and quantum computing.
industries hungry for talent, this Administration
And when in February President Trump submit- has taken multiple actions.
ted his budget request for FY 2019, the proposal
Last year, President Trump signed an executive
to Congress was even clearer: harnessing artificial
order to promote the creation of industry-recog-
intelligence is an Administration R&D priority,
nized apprenticeship programs.
and I quote, “AI holds the potential to transform
the lives of Americans.” More recently, he proposed making Pell grants
available to workers of all different education lev-
Our continued leadership in the field that Ameri-
els for short-term retraining certifications.
can researchers pioneered is not just a request; it
is an imperative. A four year degree isn’t the right choice for every-
one—and may not even be a practical possibility
It is an imperative because of the potential bene-
for more experienced workers.
fits to American industry, to the American worker,
and to the American people. Our policies must reflect the fact that people
learn not just in lecture halls and libraries, but on
And the Trump Administration is taking action to
factory floors, in offices, and out in the field.
deliver those benefits.
We haven’t stopped there. Our proposal to ex-
Today, I would like to announce the creation of a
pand broadband access, especially in rural areas,
new Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence
will allow more Americans to pursue online edu-
under the National Science and Technology
cation, helping those far outside of tech hubs and
Council.
wealthy urban centers.
This select committee will be comprised of the
As industry leaders in this room know, with the
most senior R&D officials across the Federal Gov-
unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, a 17-year low,
ernment. It will align interagency R&D priorities
the labor market is tight.
and improve planning and coordination of Fed-
eral AI investments. Our Nation particularly needs employees with
skills in science, technology, engineering, and
The American Worker
math. There are currently more than 500,000
As we look ahead to today’s events, I want to fo- open computing jobs nationwide.
cus on The White House approach to artificial in-
To further close this jobs gap, last September
telligence and American industry—particularly
President Trump signed a memo to direct at least
how we can support the American worker, pro-
200 million dollars per year in grant funding to
mote R&D, and remove barriers to innovation.
STEM and computer science education.

9
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Private industry immediately matched this com- However, it’s not enough for government to sup-
mitment with another 300 million dollars, creat- port AI innovation in the private sector. We must
ing half a billion dollars of STEM education invest- bring AI into government as well.
ment overnight.
Under President Trump, many agencies are al-
Later this year, my office will also release a 5-year ready at work.
strategic plan to better coordinate STEM educa-
The General Services Administration is piloting a
tion programs across the Federal government.
program to predict regulatory compliance using
AI R&D Leadership AI, saving taxpayer money by greatly reducing the
need for Federal auditors.
Alongside our ongoing work to prepare America’s
workforce for the future, this Administration has The National Institute of Health is exploring ways
increased focus on research and development. machine learning can improve cancer detection
and treatment.
Our free-market approach to scientific discovery
harnesses the combined strength of government, And the Department of Energy and the VA have
industry, and academia, and uniquely positions teamed up on a program called MVP Champion,
us to leverage artificial intelligence for the better- using AI to improve health analytics and out-
ment of our great Nation. comes for our veterans.
We’ve already made America the best in the world Removing Barriers to Innovation
for AI research and development. Our task now is
As we’re making great strides within the Admin-
to make sure America stays the best.
istration, to the rest of America often the most sig-
In the private sector, we will not dictate what is nificant action our government can take is to get
researched and developed. Instead we will offer out of the way.
resources and the freedom to explore.
Our Administration is not in the business of con-
Though the lion’s share of AI spending is in the quering imaginary beasts. We will not try to
private sector, a necessary part of our R&D eco- “solve” problems that don’t exist.
system is government funding.
To the greatest degree possible, we will allow sci-
In 2017, the Federal government spent billions on entists and technologists to freely develop their
unclassified AI research and development and an- next great inventions right here in the United
other billion on high-performance computing. States.
President Trump’s FY 2019 budget requests sig- Command-control policies will never be able to
nificant increases in funding for both of these pri- keep up. Nor will we limit ourselves with interna-
orities. tional commitments rooted in fear of worst-case-
scenarios.
But this is about more than just funding.
We didn’t roll out the red tape before Edison
Researchers could benefit tremendously from ex-
turned on the first lightbulb.
panded access to the Federal government’s net-
work of national labs. We didn’t cut the lines before Alexander Graham
bell made the first telephone call.
Likewise, AI research is fueled by immense
amounts of training data. We didn’t regulate flight before the Wright Broth-
ers took off at Kitty Hawk.
We can greatly improve that research by opening
access to the government’s vast troves of tax- And as those great inventions took decades to
payer-funded data in ways that don’t compro- fully develop, artificial intelligence will too. But
mise privacy or security. today it is still in its infancy.

10
 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Though we can envision a number of potential And in all of this we must remember our shared
benefits and challenges, most are still unknown— goal: to benefit the American people in everything
that fact is no excuse for preemptive government we do.
intervention.
We can only succeed if the American people suc-
Today, drones are delivering life-saving medi- ceed—only if they have jobs they can be proud of,
cines in Africa. But because of overbearing regu- only if they have neighborhoods and cities on the
lations in America, what saves lives in Rwanda is rise, only if their lives and relationships are en-
banned in Raleigh. riched, not estranged, by the technology we in-
vent.
Erecting barriers to innovation does not stop the
future; it makes the future move overseas. I have every reason to believe we can accomplish
this. Generation after generation, American inno-
Under the Trump Administration, we are remov-
vation has benefited our people and the entire
ing barriers to innovation wherever and when-
world.
ever we can to let American industry, American
thinkers, and American workers reach their great- American oil fueled world industries.
est potential.
American medicine conquered diseases.
######
American computers opened information in ways
It’s been an extremely active time in our country. inconceivable to the rest of human history.
This Administration has already developed poli- Today, with so many of the mysteries of quantum
cies to train American workers, negotiated inter- computing, autonomous systems, and machine
national AI statements, and invested billions of learning yet to be discovered, we can take hold of
dollars in research and development. the future and make it our own.
To align interagency R&D priorities, we formed With industry, academia, and a government reso-
the Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. lutely on the side of the American people, our
common future holds the promise of strength, of
By removing barriers to innovation and using gov-
success, and of wonder.
ernment labs and data to improve research,
American ecosystems of innovation like Pitts- Thank you.
burgh’s Robotics Row will be able to preserve and
######
even improve American dominance in artificial in-
telligence.

11
SUMMARY OF THE 2018 WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON AI FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY

Appendix A: Charter of the Select Committee on

Artificial Intelligence
 Charter of the
NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL
SELECT COMMITTEE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

A. Official Designation

The Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence (“Select Committee”) is hereby established by

action of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The NSTC, a Cabinet-level
council, is the principal means for the President to coordinate science and technology (S&T)
policies across the Executive Branch.

B. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of the Select Committee is to advise and assist the NSTC to improve the overall
effectiveness and productivity of Federal research and development (R&D) efforts related to
artificial intelligence (AI). The Select Committee will address significant national and
international policy matters that cut across agency boundaries and shall provide a formal
mechanism for interagency policy coordination and the development of Federal artificial
intelligence activities, including those related to autonomous systems, biometric identification,
computer vision, human-computer interactions, machine learning, natural language processing,
and robotics.
The Select Committee will act to improve the coordination of Federal efforts related to AI to ensure
continued U.S. leadership in this field. This will include advising the Executive Office of the
President on interagency AI R&D priorities; creating balanced and comprehensive AI R&D
programs, including consideration of agency partnerships with academia and industry; establishing
structures to improve the way the Federal government plans and coordinates AI R&D; leveraging
Federal data and computational resources across department and agency missions; and supporting
a technical, national AI workforce.

C. Functions

In accordance with the NSTC Executive Order 12881, as amended, and to the extent permitted by
law, the principal functions of the Select Committee are to:
(i) facilitate AI R&D planning, coordination, and communication among Federal
departments and agencies;
(ii) identify, define, and advise the NSTC on interagency priorities and plans related to AI,
including priority areas of AI R&D critical to national security, and recommend options
for Administration R&D priorities;

Page 1 of 3
 (iii) encourage agency AI-related programs and initiatives, including partnerships with
academia and industry, that enhance global, national, regional, State, and local
competitiveness and foster long-term economic growth and job creation;
(iv) identify opportunities to improve the quality of Federal datasets for AI applications,
and increase access to Federal data and computational resources for the non-Federal AI
R&D community, as appropriate and as permitted by law; and
(v) coordinate with other NSTC committees and facilitate NSTC clearance of documents
generated by interagency groups that are established under its sponsorship.

The Select Committee shall take such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to implement
such functions.

D. Membership

The Select Committee shall be chaired by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the
National Science Foundation, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Committee membership shall include:

(i) Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, Department of
Commerce;
(ii) Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Department of Defense;
(iii) Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Defense
(Co-Chair);
(iv) Undersecretary of Energy for Science, Department of Energy;
(v) Director of the National Science Foundation (Co-Chair);
(vi) Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency, Office of the
Director of National Intelligence; and

Representatives from the following Executive Office of the President (EOP) components:
(vii) National Security Council;
(viii) Office of Management and Budget, Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer;
(ix) Office of Management and Budget; and
(x) Office of Science and Technology Policy (Co-Chair).

As necessary, the Select Committee co-chairs may designate other departments, agencies, and EOP
components to be represented on the Select Committee.

E. Private-Sector Interface

The Select Committee may also interact with and receive ad hoc advice from various private-
sector groups as consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., as amended.

Page 2 of 3