U.S. DOT Artificial Intelligence Activities

The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT)  is committed to safety and innovation and sees artificial intelligence (AI) as a promising capability to help achieve these aims. While AI has applicability across many sectors of our economy, U.S. DOT’s activities focus on the following ways in which it may be applied within transportation:

Enabling the safe integration of AI into the transportation system, including as a foundational technology in many automated driving systems and unmanned aircraft systems. U.S. DOT’s work in this area also focuses on safe integration of AI into conventional aircraft systems as well as traffic management operations across modes.

Adopting and deploying AI-based tools into internal operations, research, and citizen-facing services. U.S. DOT has focused investments in the application of AI into improving the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes and research, including natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning-based predictive analytics.

Through Research, Data, and Funding Opportunities in each of these areas, U.S. DOT supports interagency initiatives led by the Office of Science and Technology Policy focused on maintaining American leadership in AI.

OMB Memorandum M-24-10

The U.S. DOT Compliance Plan for OMB Memorandum M-24-10 (September 2024) outlines the Department’s approach to achieving consistency with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-24-10 Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence.  The plan aligns with M-24-10’s three main pillars of Strengthening AI Governance, Advancing Responsible AI Innovation, and Managing Risks from AI.