Edited from a New England Council report

“Northeastern University, in Boston, has been granted $9 million to study how advanced artificial intelligence systems operate and their societal impacts. The grant, announced by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will let Northeastern to create a collaborative research platform.

“This platform aims to let researchers across the U.S. examine the internal computation systems of advanced AI, which are currently opaque because of their ‘black box’ nature.

“NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said: “Chatbots have transformed society’s relationship with AI. However, the inner workings of these systems are not yet fully understood.’

“The research will focus on large language models, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. These models will be used alongside public-interest tech groups to ensure that AI advancements adhere to ethical and social standards.’’