U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to launch a massive national initiative known as the Genesis Mission. The primary goal of this effort is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up scientific discoveries and technological progress. The order describes this project as a historic effort similar in scale to the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of nuclear energy. By focusing on this new mission, the administration aims to ensure the United States maintains its status as the world leader in technology and economic growth.
The core of this plan involves using the vast amount of scientific data the federal government has collected over many decades. This information will be used to train powerful AI systems capable of understanding and generating complex data across many different fields. The project will also create AI agents designed to perform specific tasks or make decisions autonomously. These tools will help scientists test theories and automate difficult research work.
Setting priorities for national progress
The Department of Energy will lead this operation. They are tasked with building the American Science and Security Platform, a secure infrastructure that combines supercomputers and software tools. This system will connect government laboratories with private businesses and universities to share resources. The Secretary of Energy must quickly identify at least twenty specific areas where this technology can solve urgent problems. These priority areas include manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, and nuclear energy.
To ensure success, the order requires close cooperation between different government agencies to avoid repeating work. It also establishes strict security measures to protect sensitive data and intellectual property, which is the legal right of ownership over inventions. The administration plans to offer fellowships and internships to train a new workforce in using these advanced tools. Every year, the Department of Energy must report to the President on the progress of the mission, detailing any scientific breakthroughs and how the private sector is contributing to these goals.
The Genesis Mission "will unleash the full power of our National Laboratories, supercomputers, and data resources to ensure that America is the global leader in artificial intelligence and to usher in a new golden era of American discovery,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in a press release.
See also the editorial "Accelerating science with AI," published in Science.