HR 2385: CREATE AI Act of 2025

HR 2385 in plain English: This bill directs the National Science Foundation to establish the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), a national program giving U.S. researchers, educators, and students access to AI data, computing resources, and tools. A nongovernmental organization would be competitively selected to operate the program, which must include a free tier of access and dedicate a significant share of computing resources to AI safety, privacy, and ethics projects.

Stated purpose

This bill creates a national program called the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), run by the National Science Foundation, to give U.S. researchers, educators, and students access to AI computing power, data, and tools that they currently lack. The goal is to broaden who can do AI research and strengthen U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence.

Key points

• Creates a national AI research program at NSF providing computing resources, data, and tools to U.S. researchers, educators, and students
• Requires NSF to competitively select a nongovernmental organization to operate the program
• Mandates that a significant percentage of annual computing resources go to AI safety, privacy, ethics, and security projects
• Requires a free tier of access, though a fee schedule for other access levels is permitted
• Allows the program to accept donated resources from private sector companies and federal agencies

Arguments supporters make

• Right now only the largest tech companies can afford the computing power needed for serious AI research, so this program levels the playing field for universities, small nonprofits, and independent researchers.
• Bringing more diverse voices into AI development helps ensure the technology works for all Americans, not just those already inside big tech firms.
• Requiring a dedicated share of resources for AI safety, ethics, and privacy research means the program actively supports work that makes AI less risky.

Arguments opponents make

• Routing a major national resource through a single nongovernmental operating entity chosen by the government concentrates control and could introduce conflicts of interest or bias in who gets access.
• Allowing private companies to donate resources may give those same companies informal influence over a publicly funded research program, blurring the line between public interest and corporate interest.
• The bill does not specify a funding level, leaving the program's real impact dependent on future appropriations that may never fully materialize.

Tradeoffs

Opening AI research to a broader public through a shared national resource requires trusting a government-selected private operator to manage access fairly, trading decentralized control for coordinated scale. Accepting private-sector donated resources can expand the program's reach but may also introduce private influence over publicly funded scientific priorities.

Current status in Congress: In committee.