Alaska AI research and science
The university labs, the agencies and the field science using machine learning on Alaska problems.
Where this beat stands
Alaska AI tracks 5 decisions on this beat, each one with the documents it was verified against. None are open for public comment right now, which is worth knowing before assuming there is still a door open. The nearest date is Nov 2 on The University of Alaska's AI policy. The bodies deciding on this beat include Alaska Department of Administration, Office of Procurement and Property Management, Alaska Department of Administration, Division of Motor Vehicles and University of Alaska Land Management signed the lease; any lease of the borough's own port land would need the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.
Decisions on this beat
Alaska's statewide speech-to-text contract
Pending decision · Alaska Department of Administration, Office of Procurement and Property Management
Alaska is soliciting one statewide contract to convert speech, live or recorded, into written text for general, medical and legal records. The notice says every state governmental entity may use the resulting contract, naming the Legislative Branch, the Court System, the University of Alaska, boards and commissions, cities, boroughs, school districts and federally recognized tribes. The public notice does not use the terms artificial intelligence, machine learning or automated speech recognition.
1 source on file · the full record
DMV asks vendors about automated compliance for commercial licenses
Watching · Alaska Department of Administration, Division of Motor Vehicles
The Division of Motor Vehicles asked vendors for products, services, technical approaches and industry best practices related to automated compliance and data integration systems supporting the commercial driver's license program. The public notice does not use the terms artificial intelligence or machine learning.
1 source on file · the full record
The University of Alaska's 829 acres at Port MacKenzie, leased to the coal plant's campus
Decided · University of Alaska Land Management signed the lease; any lease of the borough's own port land would need the Mat-Su Borough Assembly
Terra Energy signed a 20 year lease with the University of Alaska in late May for 829 acres near Port MacKenzie, four parcels in Township 14 North, Range 4 West, Seward Meridian, for what the lease calls the Terra Energy Center Campus, a large-scale industrial park. The project is part of affiliate Flatlands Energy's plan for a coal plant near Skwentna, which the Department of Energy selected for $89 million in engineering funding and whose described loads include data centers. Rent is $20,000 in the first year, $60,000 a year in the second and third, and $586,000 a year once operations begin, targeted for 2030, with a 2 percent annual adjustment. Borough officials expect Terra to pursue about 1,000 acres of borough port land as well.
4 sources on file · the full record
The Navy's permit for an under-ice robot navigation grid
Decided · NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources · Sep 13
NMFS has authorized the Office of Naval Research to harass marine mammals incidental to Year 9 of its Arctic Research Activities in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, and what the authorization covers is an acoustic navigation grid. Up to six moored sources at 900 to 950 Hz and two drifting ice gateway buoys will transmit a 30 second pulse every four hours for one year, so that gliders operating under sea ice can fix a position by trilateration from those sources rather than by dead reckoning. The study area is about 639,237 square kilometres across the US Exclusive Economic Zone, the high seas north of Alaska and part of the Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone, coming within 204 kilometres of the Alaska coast at its nearest point. A research cruise of 22 days is planned to begin September 22nd, 2026 aboard R/V Sikuliaq, US Coast Guard Cutter HEALY or another vessel, while the sound sources stay in the water for twelve months. The authorization covers Level B harassment only and states that take by Level A harassment is neither anticipated nor authorized.
4 sources on file · the full record
The University of Alaska's AI policy
Pending decision · University of Alaska Board of Regents · Nov 2
A mandatory University of Alaska security standard has governed generative AI use across the system since January 2025, while the university's own guidance page, last updated March 11th, 2025, still says UA System regulations are currently under development. University leadership plans to submit a finalized draft artificial intelligence policy for approval at the November regents meeting, which KTOO reports would require all three campuses to develop AI plans for their communities.
7 sources on file · the full record
Every one of these is also in the full Alaska AI Docket, published as open data at /data/ under CC BY 4.0.
Articles on this beat
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Data centers · Power and the grid · Land and permitting · Defense and federal · Research and science · Data sovereignty · State policy