A bill to authorize the Director of the National Science Foundation to identify grand challenges and award competitive prizes for artificial intelligence research and development.

Sponsor: Cory A. Booker (Democratic-NJ)February 9, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Creates new prizes to boost AI research, including for cancer breakthroughs.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) would create a program to give cash prizes for solving major problems using artificial intelligence (AI). This would help experts develop new AI tools for areas like our country's safety, health, and especially cancer. Winners in the cancer challenge could get at least $10 million.

What Would Change

Currently, there is no specific program at the National Science Foundation dedicated to identifying major challenges in artificial intelligence and awarding competitive prizes to solve them. This bill would establish the "AI Grand Challenges Program" within the National Science Foundation, which would offer cash prizes of at least $1 million for general AI challenges and at least $10 million for AI breakthroughs in fighting cancer. This program would create new incentives for U.S.-based researchers and companies to develop advanced AI solutions for critical national needs.

Key Provisions

Creates a program at the National Science Foundation to award prizes for artificial intelligence research and development.
Launches a prize competition within one year for AI breakthroughs in fighting lethal forms of cancer, with winners getting at least $10 million.
Offers cash prizes of at least $1 million for other AI challenges in areas like national security, health, and energy.
Requires private companies winning prizes to be based in the U.S., and individual winners to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Coordinates federal agencies to publish data sets that AI innovators can use to solve scientific problems.

View on Congress.gov

S 3809 · 119th Congress · February 9, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 10/10

A bill to authorize the Director of the National Science Foundation to identify grand challenges and award competitive prizes for artificial intelligence research and development.

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity