The U.S. government will invest tens of millions of dollars in smart-city technologies, small-satellite broadband, space technology and artificial intelligence (AI). The new investments are part of a US$300 million package focused on innovation, which was announced Thursday by President Obama at the White House Frontiers Conference in Pittsburgh.

The U.S. government announced $165 million in public and private funds to support cities in using technology and data to tackle critical quality-of-life challenges, such as traffic congestion. Two new government grant programs will focus on creating new on-demand mobility services, including smartphone-enabled car sharing, demand-responsive buses, and bike-sharing.

Pittsburgh (PA), San Francisco (CA), Houston (TX), Denver (CO), Los Angeles (CA), Buffalo (NY), and Marysville (OH) are receiving funds targeted at relieving congestion and improving safety of urban transportation networks. For example, Pittsburgh will receive nearly $11 million to execute elements of the vision it developed in its Smart City Challenge application, including deployment of smart traffic signal technology—proven to reduce congestion at street lights by up to 40 percent-along major travel corridors.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) also announced nearly $8 million in new grants for urban and rural communities to experiment with integrating new on-demand mobility services-including smartphone-enabled car sharing, demand-responsive buses, paratransit, and bike-sharing-into existing transit systems.

For example, TriMet, which serves Portland, Oregon, will receive funds to integrate shared-use mobility options into its existing trip planning app, allowing users to plan efficient trips even without nearby transit access.

U.S. will also offer $50 million in Federal funds to fuel a revolution in small-satellite technology that could provide capabilities such as ubiquitous high-speed Internet connectivity and continuously updated imagery of the Earth.

As part of this initiative, NASA will invest $30 million to support public-private partnership opportunities that allow for Earth Science observations to be provided by constellations of commercial small spacecraft. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has just entered into a $20 million data purchase agreement with smallsat startup Planet to buy imagery from its constellation of earth-orbiting spacecraft.

The Obama administration also today released a White House Report on the Future of Artificial Intelligence. Earlier this year, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy launched a broad consultation process, co-hosting five public workshops, including participation from academia, industry, and non-profits on topics in AI to spur public dialogue on artificial intelligence and machine learning and identify challenges and opportunities related to this emerging technology. With input from those cross-sector conversations, as well as the expertise of Federal agencies, the National Science and Technology Council is releasing a public report, Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, which surveys the state of AI, its many applications, and the questions AI raises for society and public policy. The report also makes recommendations for further action and sets out a roadmap for how the Federal Government and the U.S. should approach AI in the coming years.