AI Grand Challenges Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create the __AI Grand Challenges Program__ at the National Science Foundation to fund large prize competitions that push ambitious AI research, development, and commercialization across many sectors. It would also require at least one AI-focused cancer challenge with a minimum $10 million cash prize per winner.
Show full summary
- Researchers and companies: Would fund competitive prize competitions with cash awards of at least $1 million per winner to accelerate AI R&D and commercialization. Private entity winners must be U.S.-incorporated with a U.S. primary place of business and individual winners must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
- Cancer research and patients: Would require at least one grand challenge for AI-enabled cancer detection, diagnostics, treatments, or other innovations that increase quality-adjusted life years and award at least $10 million per winner.
- Agencies and the public: Would require the NSF Director to publish problem statements, clear targets, success metrics, and validation protocols on Challenge.gov and to coordinate dataset publication with the Office of Science and Technology Policy to support foundational science and AI innovation.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Big AI prize for cancer breakthroughs
If enacted, the bill would require NSF, working with OSTP and NIH, to create at least one AI grand challenge focused on major cancer breakthroughs within 1 year. The challenge would target AI innovations in detection, diagnosis, treatment, therapeutics, or other advances to increase quality-adjusted life years. Winners of this cancer grand challenge would receive not less than $10,000,000 in cash each.
New NSF AI prize program
If enacted, the bill would require the NSF Director to set up an AI Grand Challenges Program within 12 months. The program would run competitive prize contests and post active competitions and available awards to Challenge.gov. Winners would receive at least $1,000,000 in cash each, and NSF could also give non-cash prizes. NSF could accept outside funds to support the program but would not be able to consider those funds when picking winners. NSF would report each winning submission to Congress within 60 days and publish a public biennial report on program activities.
Federal AI research datasets published
If enacted, the bill would require the Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate Federal science funders to identify and publish datasets for grand challenges. The datasets would target foundational scientific problems that AI can help solve. The goal would be to give researchers better access to high-value data to advance AI-enabled science.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Cosponsors
Mike Rounds
SD • R
Sponsored 2/9/2026
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 2/9/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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