The National Science Foundation's capacity to continue important AI research is at risk after the Trump Administration removed several staff members who were personally chosen for their AI expertise.
The Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, one of the impacted NSF departments, played a key role in directing national funding for artificial intelligence. The reduced amounts have caused many review panels to be cancelled or postponed, which has delayed financing for many AI initiatives.
AI Innovation Is At Risk
Courtney Gibbons spent over a year investigating the mathematical basis of artificial intelligence. The National Science Foundation, a federal organization that has long been a cornerstone of domestic technology development and investment, laid off 170 workers in February, including Gibbons.
These actions run the risk of cutting off the source of talent that supplies the most innovative businesses in the sector and handing over artificial intelligence leadership to China at a time when President Donald Trump is committed to strengthening US dominance in the field.
Gregory Allen, director of the Wadhwani AI Center, said:
“Other Trump administration policies are clearly in conflict with this. At every American AI company, nearly every person with an advanced degree has participated in NSF-funded research at some point in their career. Reducing those grants would be stealing from the future to fund the present.”
Cuts by Elon Musk
The Trump Administration's current reductions to scientific grant-making, particularly those supported by billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, received criticism from AI professionals.
Nobel Laureate and AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton demanded in a post on X that Musk be kicked off of the British Royal Society "for the enormous harm he is causing to scientific institutions in the U.S." In response to Hinton's post, Musk stated, "I will make mistakes, but I will try to correct them."
Musk posted:
“Only insecure fools care about awards and memberships. History is the actual judge, always and forever.”
“Your previous remarks are clearly ignorant, harsh, and untrue.”
“So what specific activities need to be corrected? I'll make mistakes, but I'll try to correct them.”
Workings of NSF
In accordance with a court decision that found the mass termination of probationary staff to be unlawful, the agency said that it would restore 84 of the employees. According to the NSF, those being brought back do not include the specialists. Federal employees' lawyers add that the temporary decisions may still be overturned.
A representative for the agency previously stated that the NSF is working quickly to perform a thorough review of our projects, programs, and operations in order to meet the current executive orders. A representative for the White House chose not to comment.