DARPA AI Next

DARPA AI Next is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) artificial intelligence research-funding initiative, launched in September 2018 with a multi-billion-dollar funding commitment over five years across academic and industry research partners. DARPA, the US Department of Defense's principal advanced-technology research-funding agency established in 1958, has AI research history including foundational AI research funding through the 1960s and 1970s and 2000s and 2010s AI research-funding programs. The AI Next campaign explicitly oriented around third-wave AI research, with emphasis on contextual reasoning, common-sense AI, machine-learning theory, AI safety, and other AI research areas. As of April 2026, DARPA AI Next is one of the principal US government AI research-funding programs, with academic and industry research partner cooperation.

At a glance

• Founded: September 2018 as the AI Next campaign within DARPA.
• Status: US government research-funding initiative within DARPA, the Department of Defense's advanced-technology research-funding agency.
• Funding: Initial multi-billion-dollar commitment over five years (2018 to 2023). Continued subsequent funding through DARPA's broader research portfolio.
• DARPA Director: Stefanie Tompkins, Director of DARPA. Program-management leadership across the AI Next research portfolio.
• Other notable leadership: Senior program managers across the DARPA AI Next research-funding programs.
• Open weights: Variable. Selected DARPA-funded research outputs released open-source through individual research partner organizations.
• Flagship outputs: Multi-program research-funding portfolio including ASIST (Artificial Social Intelligence for Successful Teams), GARD (Guaranteeing AI Robustness against Deception), AI Forward, and other research-funding programs.

Origins

DARPA's AI research-funding history dates to the agency's founding in 1958 (initially as ARPA). The 1960s and 1970s saw foundational DARPA AI research funding including support for early AI research at MIT, CMU, Stanford, and other academic peers. The 2000s and 2010s saw DARPA AI research-funding programs including the Grand Challenge autonomous-driving competitions (2004 to 2007) and other autonomy research-funding.

The September 2018 launch of the AI Next campaign formalized subsequent DARPA AI research-funding commitment. The multi-billion-dollar initial commitment over five years (2018 to 2023) anchored subsequent academic and industry research partner cooperation.

The 2023 to 2026 period has seen continued AI Next-affiliated research-funding through DARPA's broader research portfolio, with emphasis on AI safety, contextual reasoning, common-sense AI, and other third-wave AI research areas.

Mission and strategy

DARPA AI Next's mission is to advance third-wave AI research through DARPA research-funding commitment. The strategy combines multi-program research-funding portfolio across academic and industry research partners.

Distribution channels are predominantly research-funding distributions to academic and industry research partner organizations.

Models and products

• ASIST. Artificial Social Intelligence for Successful Teams research program.
• GARD. Guaranteeing AI Robustness against Deception research program.
• AI Forward. AI research-coordination program.
• Multi-program research-funding portfolio. Across academic and industry research partners.

Distribution channels are predominantly research-funding distributions.

Benchmarks and standing

DARPA AI Next's evaluation framework focuses on research-funding program execution and published research output through DARPA-funded academic and industry research partner organizations.

Leadership

As of April 2026, DARPA AI Next's senior leadership includes:

• Stefanie Tompkins, Director of DARPA.
• Senior program managers across the AI Next research-funding programs.

Funding and backers

Initial multi-billion-dollar commitment over five years (2018 to 2023). Continued subsequent funding through DARPA's broader research portfolio.

Industry position

DARPA AI Next occupies a distinctive position as one of the principal US government AI research-funding programs, with multi-billion-dollar funding commitment and academic and industry research partner cooperation. Industry coverage has consistently characterized DARPA's AI research funding as foundational to the broader US AI research ecosystem through 1958 to 2026.

Competitive landscape

• NSF AI Institutes, DOE INCITE. US government AI research-funding peer programs.
• Canada Pan-Canadian AI. Canadian government AI research-funding peer.
• Schmidt Sciences, Open Philanthropy. Philanthropic AI research-funding peers.
• Argonne, Oak Ridge, Lawrence Berkeley. US Department of Energy national lab peers.
• Stanford AI Lab (SAIL), MIT CSAIL, CMU SCS, Berkeley BAIR. Academic AI research peers with DARPA-funding history.

Outlook

• The continued DARPA AI research-funding through 2026 and 2027 budget cycles.
• Continued academic and industry research partner cooperation.
• The US government AI research-funding direction under continued congressional appropriations cycles.

Sources

• DARPA official site. Agency reference.
• DARPA AI Next campaign announcement. September 2018 launch announcement.
• DARPA AI Forward. AI research-coordination program.
• US Department of Defense. Parent department.
• DARPA history. Agency history.