Artificial Intelligence-Ready Data Act

Summary#

This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director to create standards and guidelines to make open federal data assets "artificial intelligence-ready." NIST must work with the Commerce Secretary, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and other agencies. The standards must be adaptable for different agencies and include guidance on data quality, stewardship, metadata, documentation, training AI models, and handling intellectual property when federal data is combined with private data. The rules must encourage agencies to identify more datasets to release and to measure how well agency actions improve data usefulness for AI. AI-ready data must, as practicable, be downloadable, accurate at publication, human-readable, machine-readable with available tools, secure, and protective of privacy. NIST must publish proposed standards in the Federal Register, allow at least 60 days for public comment, and publish final standards within 1 year of enactment. NIST must review and consider revisions every 2 years. After NIST sends the standards to OSTP, the President (through OSTP and OMB) must require each agency head to adopt them, keep agency-specific adaptations interoperable across agencies, and account for the standards in major IT and high-performance computing purchases. The bill also directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to ensure its data assets support AI and machine learning for operational forecasting (including models, in-situ observations, satellites, and critical environmental observations) once the standards are adopted. The NOAA Under Secretary must brief relevant congressional committees within 1 year and then annually for 5 years on implementation progress.

What it means for you#

• If you lead a federal agency: you must adopt NIST standards, keep data interoperable with other agencies, and factor the standards into major IT and computing buys.
• If you use federal open data: datasets should become easier to download and use for AI work, with clearer metadata and documentation, and tools to read the data.
• If you follow weather and environmental forecasts: NOAA must make key forecasting datasets ready for AI and report progress to Congress for 5 years.
• For the public and industry: you will have at least 60 days to comment on proposed standards when they are published.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill's text states its purpose: to establish standards and guidelines so open federal data assets are artificial intelligence-ready and more useful for public- and private-sector AI development. It requires public notice and comment and sets timelines for publication and review.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.