Integrating Community Voices: An Iterative Needs Assessment for the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Portal Development

This paper presents the collaborative efforts of the NSF-funded SGX3 team and evaluators in engaging research and education community stakeholders to inform the development of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) portal, an online platform supporting artificial intelligence (AI)-facilitated research and education. The project team and evaluators conducted an iterative data collection process consisting of national surveys, focus groups, and a two-day, in-person workshop resulting in community recommendations for portal development. Academic, industry, nonprofit, and government stakeholders provided insights into potential user needs and design ideas. The evaluation highlighted shared and differing needs based on varying levels of AI and high-performance computing knowledge, career stages, and primary goals. Evaluation findings revealed the importance of incorporating community voices as the portal transitions from a pilot to a community-driven platform. Attendees will learn about stakeholder engagement strategies in large-scope national projects, mixed-method data collection, and enhancing community-driven projects through collective leadership.

Lisa Garbrecht; Sandra Gesing; Maytal Dahan; Claire Stirm; Linda Hayden