Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil offered recommendations to the National Institutes of Health's proposed Strategic Plan for Data Science in a March 26 letter, which Mr. Patil reposted to LinkedIn April 3.
One of Mr. Patil's key recommendations centered on how the agency can encourage progress in the research and development of artificial intelligence technologies. He noted the "most aggressive" investments in AI are taking place by entities in industry — he calls out Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon — as well as in computer science and data science departments at the nation's leading universities, and recommended the NIH partner with such institutions.
However, to facilitate these partnerships, he said the NIH will need to consider new models, since the tech giants making waves in AI don't need grant funding the way typical agency collaborators do.
"It is industry (primarily consumer internet and e-commerce) that has been driving technology innovation in data science," Mr. Patil wrote. "To make sure that NIH capitalizes on these advancements, it is essential that the NIH think outside of its traditional models of funding and thinking."
To access Mr. Patil's letter, click here.