Capital One partners with NSF to advance U.S. AI leadership

In line with our mission-driven focus on scientific advancement and innovation, today Capital One is proud to announce a five million dollar commitment towards a partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will invest $100 million to support five new AI Research institutes and a central community hub. These institutes will drive breakthroughs in high-impact areas including mental health, materials discovery, science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, human-AI collaboration and drug development. 

This public-private investment aligns with the White House AI Action Plan, a national initiative to sustain and enhance America's global AI leadership, as well as Capital One’s focus on leveraging technology and AI for positive community impact and societal good. Together, these institutes will help build a national infrastructure for AI education and workforce development, training the next generation of researchers and practitioners, empowering educators, and reaching into local communities. 

From designing new materials and medicines to improving mental health care, the National AI Research Institutes will advance research that benefits all Americans. By building open-source tools and fostering collaboration across universities, companies and government, these investments will ensure AI breakthroughs don’t stay locked in labs, but reach the people who need them.

Each AI Research Institute brings a unique interdisciplinary approach that connects AI research to tangible public benefit:

• NSF AI Research Institute on Interaction for AI Assistants (NSF ARIA): Led by  Brown University, NSF ARIA will accelerate the development of next-generation AI assistants that understand context and can respond in socially and emotionally smart ways – with the aim of building cognitively informed systems that understand human reasoning, adapt to different user needs and communicate in a respectful, responsive way. 
• NSF AI-Materials Institute (NSF AI-MI): Led by Cornell University, NSF AI-MI is  accelerating the discovery of next-generation materials essential to energy,  sustainability and quantum technologies. 
• NSF AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (NSF IFML): NSF IFML is part of the first cohort of AI Institutes announced in 2020. Led by The University of Texas at Austin, the new award will build on the trajectory of the past five years and develop new foundational tools to advance generative AI. 
• NSF Institute for Student AI-Teaming (NSF iSAT): Led by the University of Colorado at Boulder, NSF iSAT — part of the first cohort of AI Institutes announced in 2020 — is transforming how AI is used to enhance STEM learning in the classroom.
• NSF Molecule Maker Lab Institute (NSF MMLI): Led by the University of Illinois  Urbana-Champaign, NSF MMLI is part of the first cohort of AI Institutes announced in 2020. The institute has been developing cutting-edge AI and machine learning to dramatically speed up molecule discovery and creation for  applications in medicine, materials and clean energy.
• NSF AI Institutes Virtual Organization (NSF AIVO): Led by the University of  California, Davis, NSF AIVO serves as a national hub for the entire AI Institutes  network. Expanding on a successful pilot launched in 2022, it connects federally funded AI Institutes, government stakeholders and the public to create a cohesive and collaborative innovation ecosystem. 

In helping create and advise on the National AI Research Institutes program, Capital One is committing one million dollars per year over five years, which will specifically support the work and research of NSF ARIA. This collaboration underscores Capital One's focus on mobilizing the nation's most talented people, organizations and institutions to drive the future of AI’s most high-impact applications.

Advancing AI for societal benefit

At Capital One, we believe that while AI offers new avenues for engagement, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. That's why we bring together robust research, philanthropic investments, and community partnership initiatives to unlock AI’s full potential.

Our work in this space is underpinned by efforts like increasing access to public benefits and financial services for underserved populations, supporting wealth creation for small business owners through AI-powered assistance, and partnering with institutions like the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and data.org to fuel AI innovation for global economic empowerment.

These initiatives are bolstered by our $265 billion Community Benefits Plan (CBP), developed in collaboration with leading community organizations. This plan includes significant financial and programmatic investments in areas such as housing affordability, no-fee banking access, and small business growth for low-to-moderate income consumers and rural areas, as well as research funding and annual investments to advance AI for societal good.

Driving the frontiers of science and research

In addition to NSF and the National AI Research Institutes, Capital One partners with many of the nation's top research universities and academic institutions to tackle some of the most challenging industry problems at the intersection of science, AI, and finance. 

We recently established three dedicated research centers to specifically advance AI safety and responsibility, including the Capital One and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Center for Generative AI Safety, Knowledge Systems and Cybersecurity (ASKS); the Capital One and Columbia University Center for AI and Responsible Financial Innovation (CAIRFI); and the Capital One and University of Southern California (USC) Center for Responsible AI and Decision Making in Finance (CREDIF).

Our collaboration with the National AI Research Institutes marks an exciting new chapter in our journey to responsibly harness the power of AI. By advancing state-of-the-art research focused on high impact opportunity areas for AI, we are not only contributing to the advancement of science and U.S. AI leadership, but reaffirming our commitment to leveraging technology for the betterment of our customers and society as a whole.

Read more about the NSF AI Institutes and the NSF.