Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI): Infusing physics intelligence into artificial intelligence

Abstract

The NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI, pronounced /aI-faI/) is one of the inaugural NSF AI research institutes (https://iaifi.org). The IAIFI is enabling physics discoveries and advancing foundational AI through the development of novel AI approaches that incorporate first principles from fundamental physics. By combining state-of-the-art research with early career talent and a growing AI + physics community in the Boston area and beyond, the IAIFI is enabling researchers to develop AI technologies to tackle some of the most challenging problems in physics, and transfer these technologies to the broader AI community. Since trustworthy AI is as important for physics discovery as it is for other applications of AI in society, IAIFI researchers are applying physics principles to develop more robust AI tools and to illuminate existing AI technologies. To cultivate human intelligence, the IAIFI promotes training, education, and public engagement at the intersection of physics and AI. In these ways, the IAIFI is fusing deep learning with deep thinking to gain a deeper understanding of our universe and AI.