Artificial Intelligence

On this page:

• What is Artificial Intelligence?
• What We Have Accomplished
• The Next 12 Months
• Contact Us
• References

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence is defined as a machine-based system that can go beyond defined results and scenarios and has the ability to emulate human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action. For a given set of human-defined objectives, AI can make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments (adapted from the National Defense Authorization Act (2021)).

What We Have Accomplished

• Set goals for AI implementation, appointed a Chief AI Officer, and created an AI Governance Board  to ensure the agency's use of AI is adequately managed.
• Created an AI Steering Committee to promote cross-office coordination and direction to prepare the agency for the future use of AI in NRC-regulated activities.
• Published an AI principles paper with Canada and the United Kingdom on September 5, 2024 (ML24241A252), outlining guiding principles for the safe and secure use of AI in nuclear applications.
• Hosted an International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Meeting on the near-term deployment of AI solutions in the nuclear power industry on March 18-21, 2024.
• Hosted a public workshop at NRC Headquarters on September 17, 2024, and a public symposium on March13, 2025, to discuss use of AI in the nuclear industry.
• Issued the final report on “Regulatory Framework Gap Assessment for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Applications” in October 2024 (ML24290A059).

The Next 12 Months

• Publish Germany-France-United States trilateral project report on use of AI in regulatory programs.
• Publish Research Information Letter (RIL) on AI test, evaluation, verification & validation (TEV&V) tabletop safety analysis and evaluation.
• Publish a strategy for identifying and removing barriers to the responsible use of AI and achieving enterprise-wide improvements in AI maturity.
• Broaden the scope of generative AI training to agency staff and contractors and the development of the rules of behavior for the use of generative AI tools.
• Continue to engage with the inspection community across all regions and inspection types in Future Focused Research outreach sessions.
• Further develop the framework to support the use of AI in NRC-regulated activities.
• Continue communication with industry stakeholders to ensure preparedness for future uses of AI in NRC-regulated activities.

Contact Us

If you have questions about artificial intelligence, please see our Contact Us form.

References

• "Considerations for Developing Artificial Intelligence Systems in Nuclear Applications" (ML24241A252)
• National Defense Authorization Act (2021)
• MOU between NRC and DOE on Cooperation in the Area of Operating Experience and Applications of Data Analytics (ML21069A328)
• MOU between NRC and EPRI on Cooperative Nuclear Safety Research Related to Advanced Nuclear Technologies and Data Science (ML21263A196)
• "Exploring Advanced Computational Tools and Techniques with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Operating Nuclear Plants" (NUREG/CR-7294)
• MOU between NRC and DOE on Cooperative Nuclear Safety Research Related to Light Water Reactor Sustainability (ML21124A125)
• Neural Network Investigation on Regression Modeling in Critical Heat Flux Prediction Applications (ML24207A085)