By Stephen DeAngelis
Last November, President Trump announced the “Genesis Mission to Accelerate AI for Scientific Discovery.”[1] According to the White House, the purpose of the Genesis Mission, is to launch “a new national effort to use artificial intelligence (AI) to transform how scientific research is conducted and accelerate the speed of scientific discovery.” The Executive Order contained three main directives:
• “The Genesis Mission charges the Secretary of Energy with leveraging National Laboratories to unite America’s brightest minds, most powerful computers, and vast scientific data into one cooperative system for research.”
• “The Order directs the Department of Energy to create a closed-loop AI experimentation platform that integrates the Nation’s world-class supercomputers and unique data assets to generate scientific foundation models and power robotic laboratories.”
• “The Order instructs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST) to coordinate the national initiative and the integration of data and infrastructure from across the Federal government.”
The Executive Order also directs the Secretary of Energy, APST, and the Special Advisor for AI & Crypto to “collaborate with academia and private-sector innovators to support and enhance the Genesis Mission.” The Order also prioritizes Genesis Mission efforts to focus on “the greatest scientific challenges of our time that can dramatically improve our Nation’s national, economic, and health security, including biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear fission and fusion energy, space exploration, quantum information science, and semiconductors and microelectronics.”
A Beginning
The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines the word “genesis” as “the origin or mode of formation of something.” The administration is hoping that the Genesis Mission is the beginning of a new scientific method of discovery — a method that keeps the United States in the forefront of new advances and discovery. AI and other advanced technologies reside at the heart of this new approach. Technologist Chuck Brooks insists, “Today’s world is characterized by exponential changes in technology.”[2] He views the Genesis Mission as “not merely another government program.” He writes, “It represents a bold strategic move that aligns with my belief that science, data, and computing should be regarded as essential components of our national strength rather than optional extras. … The real world and the digital world have merged. Deep-learning AI, quantum computing, and networked sensors were once only concepts in science fiction. They are real and strong.”
According to Michael Kratsios, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, scientific breakthroughs using AI require access to federal datasets that can “massively accelerate the rate of scientific breakthrough.”[3] Using that data, Kratsios says the Genesis Mission will be able to “automate experiment design, accelerate simulation and generate predictive models for everything from protein folding to fusion plasma dynamics. This will shorten discovery timelines from years to days or even hours.” Government support for basic scientific research has been declining for years. Hopefully, the Genesis Mission will spark a new wave of research. Energy Secretary Chris Wright insists government efforts will enhance private-sector investment in AI and focus more “on scientific discovery and engineering advancements.”[4] He adds, “To do that, you need the data sets that are contained across our national labs.”
Traditionally, government research support has been directed more at academia than the private-sector. This appears to be changing. As part of the Genesis Mission, “Administration officials said AI companies will get access to scientific data sets held by the government, which operates 17 National Laboratories through the Department of Energy. The Labs conduct cutting-edge research and have some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers.”[5] Journalist Zac Anderson notes, “[This approach] comes with concerns about accessing copyrighted or sensitive material that could have national security implications.”[6] To ease these concerns, Administration officials indicate, “Controls will be put in place to protect such data.” Journalist Ali Azhar reports, “The idea is to connect massive, and often underused, scientific datasets across agencies like the DOE, NIH, and NOAA to national lab supercomputers and wrap it all into an AI experimentation platform that supports scientific discovery. The policy outlines key players: public research agencies, academic institutions, and hand-picked private partners.”[7] In December, the Department of Energy announced it had signed collaboration agreements with two dozen organizations. They are: Accenture; AMD; Anthropic; Armada; Amazon Web Services; Cerebras; CoreWeave; Dell; DrivenData; Google; Groq; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; IBM; Intel; Microsoft; NVIDIA; OpenAI; Oracle; Periodic Labs; Palantir; Project Prometheus; Radical AI; xAI; and XPRIZE.
Azhar is both encouraged by this approach and concerned that the gap between research groups favored by the government and those not in favor could grow. He explains, “In theory, this could create a long-term framework where machine learning, high-end simulations, and domain-specific data all operate alongside each other. It could speed up discovery in energy, healthcare, climate, and more. However, it also raises some concerns. As AI models and compute power become central to modern research, what happens to institutions that do not have access to either? That gap could get wider (and very fast).” Where the Genesis Mission is headed will only become clear once it transforms from an idea into a reality.
Concluding Thoughts
Technology journalist Brian Buntz notes advanced research finds itself at a critical moment in America's history. He reports, "While the U.S. remains the world’s research superpower ... China is quickly catching up and could be the world’s top R&D spender by 2030."[8] Remaining a research superpower is an imperative. The Executive Order notes, “From the founding of our Republic, scientific discovery and technological innovation have driven American progress and prosperity. Today, America is in a race for global technology dominance in the development of artificial intelligence, an important frontier of scientific discovery and economic growth.” As long as it is executed well, Brooks harbors great hopes for the Genesis Mission. He writes, “I have consistently stated that new technology without risk management is a bad idea. Technologies don’t just bring hope; they also make things less safe. The focus of the Genesis Mission on cybersecurity, data protection, supply chain resilience, and governance shows that its creators recognize the significance of these elements. This technology is not an afterthought; it is a crucial part of the plan. If executed well, the Genesis Mission can produce a cascading set of positive outcomes.”
Footnotes
[1] Staff, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Unveils the Genesis Mission to Accelerate AI for Scientific Discovery,” The White House, 24 November 2025.
[2] Chuck Brooks, “The Genesis Mission To Harness AI For Innovation And Security,” Forbes, 25 November 2025.
[3] David Shepardson, “Trump aims to boost AI innovation, build platform to harness government data,” Reuters, 24 November 2025.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Zac Anderson, “Trump signs order harnessing federal resources for AI boom,” USA Today, 24 November 2025.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ali Azhar, “What Trump’s ‘Genesis Mission’ Really Means for Data and AI-Powered Science,” HPCwire, 25 November 2025.
[8] Brian Buntz, "NSF layoffs in 2025: Deep budget cuts headed for U.S. research sector," R&D World, 15 February 2025.
