National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot seeks datasets to facilitate AI education and researcher skill development

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot, led by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with 12 other agencies, is seeking datasets that will enable a broader set of researchers and educators, particularly newcomers to AI, to join the AI research and education community. This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) seeks to identify datasets that could be used by researchers and educators to facilitate the development of AI skills in the classroom, at a workshop, or in other educational environments to further develop the nation’s AI workforce. The criteria that will be used to choose the datasets are provided below under How to Respond to this DCL. NSF plans to point to these datasets through the NAIRR Pilot portal.

The NAIRR Pilot was launched in January 2024 to demonstrate the value and potential impact of the NAIRR vision as described in the NAIRR Task Force Report. The vision for the NAIRR is to provide the research and education communities with access to critical resources to power AI innovation and discovery while building a trustworthy AI ecosystem. NAIRR Pilot activities include facilitating researcher and educator access to computing, high-quality datasets, software, models and expertise; integrating data, software, platforms, and tools; expanding resource access to researchers and educators new to developing or integrating AI into their foundational, use-inspired, and translational research; and building a NAIRR Pilot ecosystem that will promote learning, research, and innovation. These activities are administered by designated working groups and overseen by the NAIRR Pilot Program Management Office (PPMO).

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