The Trump administration has fired a number of National Science Foundation employees who were selected for their expertise in artificial intelligence, threatening the agency’s ability to support key AI research, Bloomberg reports.
One of the affected NSF units, the Directorate of Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, played a key role in distributing government grants for AI. The layoffs have led to the postponement or cancellation of many expert panels, delaying funding for some AI projects.
AI experts have criticized the Trump administration's recent cuts to research grants, especially those promoted by the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
In a post on X, AI pioneer and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton called for Musk to be expelled from the British Royal Society "because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US."
Musk responded to Hinton's post, saying, "I will make mistakes, but endeavor to fix them fast."