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April 21 Webcast to Launch National AI Engineering Initiative and Invite Partnership

April 21 Webcast to Launch National AI Engineering Initiative and Invite Partnership
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April 14, 2021—In a webcast later this month, the SEI will put out a call for researchers, advocates, and co-funders to partner with the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering Initiative and support the growth and development of a new discipline. The initiative is led by AI experts from the SEI’s Emerging Technology Center (ETC), who will define AI engineering, discuss why it matters, and detail opportunities for engagement in a free webcast on April 21 from 1-2 p.m. ET.

Established in 2020 and sponsored by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National AI Engineering Initiative focuses on establishing a professional discipline for AI engineering. Alongside partners from defense and national security, industry, and universities, the SEI is guiding the creation of a multiyear research and development roadmap to foster development of AI systems that are human-centered, robust and secure, and scalable. Current partners include the University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) and Northrop Grumman, among others. The SEI is aiming to grow an AI engineering ecosystem and is looking for partners to source and share research, define gaps and needed capabilities, and shape the evolving state of the art.

“The ultimate objective for the national initiative is to realize the capability of AI for mission outcomes,” said Rachel Dzombak, the ETC’s lead of digital transformation. “The first step is to convene perspectives and engage a community in impactful work to drive definition and formalization of AI engineering. By creating an ecosystem around the discipline, we can coalesce insights and establish best practices around how we design, deploy, and maintain AI capabilities.” 

In the April 21 webcast “AI Engineering: The National Initiative for Human-Centered, Robust and Secure, and Scalable AI,” the ETC’s Dzombak, Matt Gaston, and Frank Redner will share their perspectives on the AI engineering state of the art, potential research directions, and ways to get involved in this rapidly evolving discipline. Register for the webcast to learn more about the National AI Engineering Initiative.

To learn more about AI engineering, visit the SEI’s Digital Library and the SEI Blog.