The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Commerce are joining forces to establish the Artificial Intelligence Security Institute Alliance, and they are actively seeking members for this initiative. NIST officially announced the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Consortium in a filing with the Federal Register on November 2. The notice details the qualifications and requirements for potential applicants interested in participating in this collaboration.
The central aim of this partnership is to develop and implement specific policies and measures that prioritize a human-centered approach to AI safety and governance. Members of this consortium will be expected to contribute in various capacities, including the development of measurement and benchmarking tools, offering policy guidance, conducting red teaming exercises, performing psychological and environmental analyses, among other related functions.
These efforts stem from recent executive orders issued by U.S. President Joseph Biden. The executive order established six new AI safety and security standards, albeit none of them are recognized by law. While countries in Europe and Asia have been proactive in formulating policies governing AI system development, focusing on privacy, security, and potential unintended consequences, the United States has fallen behind in this domain.
While President Biden's executive order and the formation of the AI Security Institute Alliance signify progress in the United States toward crafting "concrete policies" for AI governance, there still appears to be no concrete timeline for the implementation of AI-related legislation. The existing legal framework is considered by many experts to be inadequate when applied to the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
