WASHINGTON, D.C. — With society at the forefront of an AI revolution, University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell met with members of Texas’ congressional delegation, seeking support for the University’s artificial intelligence initiatives to dramatically expand the AI workforce and conduct critical research. Hartzell’s first trip to Capitol Hill as president underscored the significance and breadth of UT’s AI expertise and its importance to the future of the U.S. economy, national security and defense.

“We have the largest GPU cluster in all of academia. We are home to the National Science Foundation’s Institute for Machine Learning. And we are the headquarters of the Army Futures Command, which works closely with Texas Robotics and other disciplines,” Hartzell said during a reception at the Capitol on Tuesday night. “One challenge we have is the escalating cost of competing with the private sector. It is important that our country invests in public sector AI, and I am grateful to have support of key members of our Texas delegation, who hold seats on some of the most powerful committees in Washington.”

AI initiatives in public research universities such as UT are more often open and act as an enabler for the public good than those in the private sector. Yet, top AI talent has increasingly migrated to the higher-paying private sector. A 2023 survey published in Science.org found that nearly 70% of people with Ph.D.s in AI go to work in the private sector, compared with 21% two decades ago.

“UT has emerged as a leader in AI workforce development and research, and both of these are critical to America’s national security and defense,” said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. “I look forward to working with President Hartzell to continue building UT Austin’s research capacity and ensuring the next generation of researchers and scientists are from Texas.”

In 2023, UT launched a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI), the first large-scale degree program of its kind and the only master’s degree program in AI from a top-ranked institution. Combined with UT’s existing deep portfolio of AI degrees and programming, the University now has the ability to contribute to America’s AI workforce at an unrivaled capacity.

UT’s AI applications across defense and national security range from robots in conventional warfare to cybersecurity and cyberwarfare. The University is working with the Army Futures Command for rapid adoption and integration of AI systems and robotics for autonomous vehicles in a combat environment that could perform tasks such as search and rescue, mine-clearing operations, firefighting, and surveillance and reconnaissance.

UT’s Strauss Center for International Security and Law is conducting partially classified research on rules of engagement for AI-powered military systems and is advising the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on AI issues, including President Joe Biden’s executive order on the safe, secure and trustworthy development and use of AI.

“The University of Texas is leading the nation in AI research. It is critical to keep on pace with these developing technologies,” said U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, a member of the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees. “I look forward to working alongside my colleagues in Congress and President Hartzell on this important initiative.”

Hartzell’s message was bolstered by University advertising in two prominent Washington Metro stations, dubbed “Metro Station Domination,” promoting UT as “the epicenter of AI excellence.” UT is uniquely positioned to lead across the spectrum of AI applications that align with the University’s top academic and research strengths. Hartzell has declared 2024 as the “year of AI” at UT.

WASHINGTON – A cloudy start to Thursday morning will give way to sunshine and temperatures near 80 degrees by later this afternoon.

FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says most of the immediate Washington, D.C. area will remain dry. Showers could develop in parts of northeast Maryland, southern Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware as a stalled front moves through.

Grenda says sunshine this afternoon will cause temps to spike. We can expect highs in the upper-70s to lower-80s – nearly 10 degrees above where we should be for this time of year.

Friday will be much cooler with clouds and passing showers during the afternoon into the evening. Highs on Friday will only reach into the mid-to-upper 60s.

Expect a partly sunny Saturday with highs in the upper-60s with the possibility of showers in the evening.

A cloudy Sunday with highs near 60 degrees.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has averted facing another civil trial after reaching a settlement with Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who criticized the group’s charitable branch as an “unchecked piggy bank.”

Schwalb’s office sued the NRA and its charity, the NRA Foundation, for allegedly misusing millions of tax-deductible donations to compensate for the organization’s waning funds. Trial for the suit was scheduled to begin on April 29, roughly two months after a New York jury found the NRA and its former CEO liable for financial misconduct in a separate civil case.

“Donors are entitled to know that their charitable contributions will be used in furtherance of a nonprofit organization’s stated charitable mission,” Schwalb, a Democrat, said in a statement following Wednesday’s settlement.

“The NRA Foundation—the charitable arm of the NRA—violated this sacred public trust, allowing the NRA to use them as an unchecked piggy bank,” the attorney general continued. “Caving to pressure from the NRA, the Foundation diverted millions of dollars to the NRA in grants and risky loans that were repaid only after [the attorney general’s office] filed its lawsuit.”

Former NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre was found liable of misspending millions of the organization’s money in February after facing a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James. Prosecutors accused LaPierre of using the money for expensive vacations and lavish travel means.

The jury in the case also found that the NRA had failed to properly manage its assets and that it had misrepresented information in tax filings. The gun rights group was also found liable for violating whistleblower protections.

LaPierre was ordered to pay $5.4 million in damages in connection to the case. The NRA faces $4.4 million in penalties.

The settlement on Wednesday requires a thorough oversight of the NRA Foundation’s operations and extensive changes within the group to “ensure that the Foundation operates independently from the NRA and fully complies” with D.C. nonprofit laws, according to Schwalb’s office.

In a statement to the New York Times on Wednesday, the NRA characterized its settlement as a victory, claiming that it had proven that all of the funds taken from its foundation “were applied exclusively in furtherance of its charitable programs and that there was no misuse.”

NRA President Charles Cotton also called Schwalb’s lawsuit a “political attack.” Newsweek reached out viaemail to the organization’s press office for more information late Wednesday evening.

Conditions of the settlement require the NRA Foundation to conduct annual nonprofit compliance training and establish an audit committee “to ensure Foundation’s financial affairs are in order and work with an external auditor,” read Schwalb’s release. Under D.C. law, violations of the district’s nonprofit statute do not authorize the collection of penalties.

“Tax-exempt nonprofits are a form of public trust—abusing that trust as the NRA did violates both the public interest and District law,” the district attorney continued in his statement. “Today’s outcome builds on our longstanding commitment to safeguarding nonprofit donors’ money and ensuring that all nonprofits operating in the District of Columbia follow the law.”