The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory had a major presence at a first of its kind event exploring the future of artificial intelligence.
ORNL researchers and communications specialists took part in the inaugural AI Expo for National Competitiveness in Washington D.C, May 7 and 8, to showcase and provide insight into how the lab is leading the way for utilizing the vast possibilities of AI.
The expo featured representatives from across the federal government, academia and the private sector provided a wide range of demonstrations. These industry experts also shared their latest breakthroughs in applying AI to solve major challenges from all over the world. ORNL's Director of AI Programs Prasanna Balaprakash, who also directs the lab's AI Initiative, presented on the lab's commitment to making AI more sustainable for the future.
"ORNL's participation in the AI Expo underscores our commitment to leading the development of secure, trustworthy and energy-efficient AI solutions for scientific discovery and national security," said Balaprakash.
Fellow ORNL researchers Ben Mintz and Max Lupo Pasini, who both work in the Computing and Computational Sciences directorate, provided demonstrations for attendees from their respective technologies. Mintz, who serves as director of the INTERSECT initiative at ORNL, detailed how AI is used in the INTERSECT program to build interconnected "smart labs of the future". Data scientist Lupo Pasini displayed his work in HydraGNN, which is an implementation of distributed multi-tasking graph neural networks used in several scientific applications.
"At the AI Expo 2024 for National Competitiveness, I had the opportunity to present some results on AI for materials science obtained at ORNL," said Lupo Pasini. "My interactions with many of the participants gave me the impression that attendees found the event very interesting and acknowledged the relevance and impact of AI for ensuring the U.S. preeminence on scientific and technological progress. I think that continuing this type of event in the future will be extremely beneficial to the scientific community."
ORNL has invested heavily in advancing AI, including establishing the AI Initiative and the Center for Artificial Intelligence Security Research, or CAISER. Lab researchers are also using ORNL's Frontier, the world's first exascale supercomputer computer, to raise the bar through DOE's Frontier AI for Science, Security and Technology, or FASST. The FASST proposal outlines a strategic vision to establish several multi-laboratory AI research centers at DOE national laboratories.
"This event provided an important national platform for showcasing our cutting-edge AI research and demonstrated ORNL's leadership in AI to tackle complex challenges across the domains of science, energy and national security," added Balaprakash.
This event provided an important national platform for showcasing our cutting-edge AI research and demonstrated ORNL's leadership in AI to tackle complex challenges across the domains of science, energy and national security. - Prasanna Balaprakash.
Over the two-day event, more than 11,000 attendees heard from over 350 presenters and over 150 exhibitors exploring all angles of AI and emerging technologies, including cyber defense, increased implementation and promoting innovation. The expo took place alongside the second annual Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security, which brought together a wide range of influential figures from both the public and private sectors to advocate for increased investment in advancing technology for national security purposes. United Kingdom Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin and U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall were featured keynote speakers for the event.
ORNL researchers and personnel contributed to an exhibition showcasing DOE's continued investment in AI technologies broadly, as well as the individual accomplishments of national laboratories across the country. Particular focus at the exhibition was given by the respective labs to incorporating AI into existing technologies, such as drones, to spotlight how artificial intelligence is transforming commonly used devices with all new capabilities.
Funding for the event was provided by the Special Competitive Studies Project, a non-profit, non-partisan organization with the stated goal of strengthening the United States' competitiveness in AI and other emerging technologies.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE's Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science. - Mark Alewine
