AI Institutes Virtual Organization (AIVO): Expanding the Network

国家人工智能（AI）研究所计划是一项多机构和多部门的努力，旨在实施美国联邦政府的战略，以推进对AI相关机会和风险的统一方法。该计划于2019年启动，目前包括25个人工智能研究所。每个研究所都是一个大规模的努力，涉及多个资助组织，许多研究专业人员和社区合作伙伴的网络，共同努力推进和应用人工智能知识和方法，并为人工智能研究基础设施和创新建立新的平台。在这个项目中，人工智能研究所虚拟组织（AIVO）建立了一个社区中心活动，将这些独立的研究所连接到一个网络中，这个网络大于其部分的总和。AIVO在该项目中的主要活动包括规划和主办研究所的年度会议，以交流知识，协调公众参与研究所及其工作，以及一系列新的方案，以建立研究所之间以及与更广泛的研究界的新合作。该项目下的九项相互关联的工作为形成社区和解决跨研究所边界的主题创造了良好的条件。AIVO是一项由NSF资助的社区主导的活动，旨在协调，协作和AI研究所计划社区的社区建设。在这个项目中，AIVO将在九个相互关联的项目中扩大社区参与：1）规划和举办项目范围内的领导会议，AI研究所领导峰会（SAIL 2023）; 2）与SAIL 2023共同策划和举办公众参与活动，向更广泛的社会展示人工智能研究所，并探索新的合作; 4）为AIVO网站开发和整合动态和协作功能，以提供对研究所活动的实时了解，实施协作功能，并使公众能够访问研究所的项目和人员; 5）支持研究所发展新的国际合作的计划; 6）主办研究所内部的合作平台，以促进社区发展; 7）向研究所提供旅行补助赠款的计划，以增加早期职业研究人员参加重要人工智能会议的人数;使特殊兴趣小组（SIG）正规化并向其提供支持，以便围绕优先主题将来自不同研究所的人员聚集在一起;以及9）开发和主办AIVO研讨会，以围绕共同感兴趣的主题建立研究所间社区。总之，这个虚拟组织的努力代表了一套强大的研究所支持计划和专业知识，以增强国家对人工智能的关键投资的影响，并通过多种参与机制覆盖更广泛的受众。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes program is a multi-agency and multi-sector effort implementing the U.S. federal government strategy to advance a cohesive approach to AI-related opportunities and risks. Launched in 2019, the program now includes 25 AI Institutes. Each Institute is a large-scale effort involving a network of multiple funded organizations, many research professionals, and community partners working together to advance and apply AI knowledge and methods and build new platforms for AI research infrastructure and innovation. In this project, the AI Institutes Virtual Organization (AIVO) builds a community hub activity that connects these individual Institutes into a network of networks that is greater than the sum of its parts. The key activities of AIVO in this project include the planning and hosting of annual meetings of the Institutes for knowledge exchange, coordination of public engagement with the Institutes and their work, and a range of new programs for building new collaborations among the Institutes and with the broader research community. The nine interrelated efforts under this project establish excellent conditions to form communities and address topics across Institute boundaries.AIVO is an NSF-funded, community-led activity for coordination, collaboration, and community building in the AI Institutes program community. In this project, AIVO will expand community engagement in nine interrelated projects: 1) planning and conducting the program-wide leadership conference, Summit for AI Institutes Leadership (SAIL 2023); 2) planning and conducting a public engagement event co-located with SAIL 2023 for the exposition of AI Institutes to broader society and the exploration of new collaborations; 3) planning for future such leadership and public engagement conferences; 4) development and integration of dynamic and collaborative features for the AIVO web site to deliver a live look at Institute activity, implement collaborative features, and make the projects and personnel of the Institutes accessible to the public; 5) a program to support Institutes in developing new international collaborations; 6) the hosting of intra-Institute collaboration platforms to facilitate community growth; 7) a program to provide travel assistance grants to Institutes to increase attendance of early-career researchers at key AI conferences; the formalization and support to special interest groups (SIGs) to bring together personnel from diverse institutes around priority topics; and 9) development and hosting of AIVO Workshops to build inter-institute community around common themes of interest. Together, the efforts of this virtual organization represent a robust suite of Institute support programs and expertise to enhance the impact of a key national investment in AI and reach a much wider audience through diverse engagement mechanisms.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.