The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have ignited a global race for leadership, and the United States is keen to stay at the forefront. As the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) develops its 2025 National AI Research and Development (R&D) Strategic Plan, Computing Research Association (CRA), with the assistance of the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), is providing crucial input. Our recent response to the OSTP’s Request for Information (RFI) emphasizes a vital, yet often overlooked, aspect of AI success: its symbiotic relationship with other scientific and engineering disciplines.
 
This RFI will also take into account responses submitted to the previous RFI on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, which CRA submitted an earlier response to. However, the core message of this latest response is a powerful reminder: AI, despite its transformative potential, cannot thrive in isolation.
 
AI’s remarkable ability to process vast datasets and uncover complex connections offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate discovery across the entire scientific research enterprise. This synergy promises to free up scientists to focus on experiments and studies, significantly accelerating the pace of innovation. Yet, this powerful amplification effect hinges on a crucial understanding: AI is a tool, an amplifier, not a replacement for fundamental scientific inquiry. Its true power is unleashed only when intrinsically linked to robust investment in the very disciplines that generate the data, formulate the critical questions, and validate the insights upon which AI models are built.
 
Federal agencies play an indispensable role in fostering this fertile ground for scientific advancement. Agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Energy (DOE), and Department of Defense (DoD) are the backbone of foundational research in U.S. universities and national labs. Their sustained funding and strategic initiatives ensure that scientists can pursue inquiries that lead to the breakthroughs essential for future technological leaps, including those in AI. Without this consistent federal support, the pipeline of fundamental knowledge that fuels AI innovation would inevitably shrink, threatening America’s leadership in both AI and the broader scientific landscape.
 
While investing directly in AI research is paramount, equally important is the sustained and significant investment across the entire spectrum of scientific and engineering disciplines, including the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. This integrated approach, recognizing AI as a powerful amplifier within a thriving research ecosystem, is the key to unlocking AI’s full potential and ensuring America’s enduring leadership in this transformative field.
 

Check out our full Response to the Request for Information here.