THIS WEEK IN AI
Candice Bryant Consulting
Strategic Intelligence & Public Affairs
Each week I synthesize the key developments in AI and public policy so you don’t have to. Here’s what I’m watching:
• The White House launched the Genesis Mission for AI-enabled scientific discovery
• AWS announced a $50B expansion of federal AI infrastructure
• Bipartisan legislation from SSCI members aims to protect U.S. AI from foreign adversaries
Together, these developments show rare bipartisan alignment around a strategic reality: U.S. AI leadership depends on deep public-private sector partnerships that both accelerate innovation and defend against threats.
How to Read This Newsletter: This Week in AI applies the same principles of concise writing used to brief busy policymakers. Each entry contains a summary and analysis—if you already know what happened, jump straight to "What I'm Watching" for insights.
1. Genesis Mission
The White House launched the Genesis Mission, a DOE-led effort to integrate national lab compute, scientific datasets, and federal R&D infrastructure into one AI-driven platform for accelerating breakthroughs in materials, energy, quantum, and other mission-critical domains. The initiative directs DOE to coordinate across its 17 national labs, stand up an integrated AI “science acceleration” platform, and mobilize public- and private-sector partners around priority research areas. In announcing the initiative, the administration described it as a “historic national effort, comparable in urgency and ambition to the Manhattan Project,” underscoring the stakes.
What I’m Watching:
This builds on the Biden Administration’s FASST program—a rare point of bipartisan continuity showing AI-enabled scientific discovery is an enduring federal priority. DOE has announced initial collaborators but must still outline how broader participation will work—whether through consortium structures, lab-level partnership calls, or other mechanisms we’ve seen in past federal science initiatives. The companies that stand out will likely be those that show clear mission alignment, bring serious scientific rigor, understand security and data-governance expectations, and approach the effort with a true teaming mentality.
2. AWS AI Infrastructure
AWS announced up to $50 billion in new investment to expand AI and high-performance computing capacity across its government and classified cloud regions. The build-out will add roughly 1.3 gigawatts of compute dedicated to federal workloads—spanning GovCloud, Secret, and Top Secret—and begin in 2026. AWS frames the expansion as enabling agencies to run more advanced AI models inside secure, accredited environments.
What I’m Watching:
Federal agencies are mandated to adopt AI and modernize their systems, and this AWS expansion is a visible step in that direction. But a new Brookings case study on DOD AI development shows infrastructure is only part of the equation—agencies still face systemic barriers around security requirements, talent retention, and procurement processes that can undermine even well-resourced initiatives. Success will require progress on both fronts.
3. Bipartisan AI Security Legislation
A bipartisan AI effort is underway in Congress. SSCI members Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced legislation directing the NSA's AI Security Center to create a governmentwide "AI Security Playbook"—essentially a defensive strategy guide for protecting America's most advanced AI systems from foreign adversaries. The NSA would develop the guidance in collaboration with AI developers, national labs, academia, and other federal agencies, delivering both classified and unclassified versions to Congress. The bill specifically focuses on "covered AI systems"—AI that matches or exceeds human expert performance in critical domains. A companion bill was introduced in the House by Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
What I'm Watching:
This legislation stems from Sen. Kelly's broader AI for America roadmap but focuses narrowly on national security rather than the roadmap's more controversial economic proposals. That focused scope—protecting AI systems from foreign adversaries rather than taxing AI companies—has enabled bipartisan support. The bill won't reshape the ecosystem on its own, but it could be a meaningful step toward a more unified federal definition of what counts as a "sensitive AI system" and a more consistent baseline for securing them. Over time, that kind of clarity can also streamline procurement by giving agencies and vendors a shared set of expectations around security requirements.
