The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is looking for feedback on the responsibilities that it’s undertaking as part of President Biden’s recent artificial intelligence (AI) executive order (EO).
The EO tasks NIST with creating a variety of AI guidelines, including guidelines for evaluation, red-teaming, and more. In a request for information (RFI) published today, NIST said it is looking for input on these guidelines, which will ultimately serve as a resource to help the AI community in the trustworthy development and use of AI.
“President Biden has been clear — AI is the defining technology of our generation, and we have an obligation to harness the power of AI for good while protecting people from its risks,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press release.
“As part of the president’s executive order, the Department of Commerce is soliciting feedback across industry, academia, civil society and more so we can develop industry standards around AI safety, security, and trust that will enable America to continue leading the world in the responsible development and use of this rapidly evolving technology,” Raimondo added.
The responses to the RFI will help NIST to evaluate capabilities related to AI technologies and to develop the guidelines. Specifically, the RFI is looking for information related to AI red-teaming, generative AI risk management, reducing the risk of synthetic content, and advancing responsible global technical standards for AI development.
NIST said it will develop the guidance through an open and transparent process, hearing from a wide range of voices from industry, academia, government, and civil society.
Interested parties can submit responses to the RFI until Feb. 2, 2024, and the responses will be posted to www.regulations.gov.
“We look forward to strengthening our engagement with the community to advance our understanding of AI measurement and evaluation as we begin to work toward the goals set out in the executive order,” said Under Secretary of Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio.
“I want to invite the broader AI community to engage with our talented and dedicated team through this request for information to advance the measurement and practice of AI safety and trust,” Locascio added. “It is essential that we gather all perspectives as we work to establish a strong and unbiased scientific understanding of AI, which has the potential to impact so many areas of our lives.”
The AI EO also instructs NIST to develop guidance and best practices related to cybersecurity, synthetic nucleic acid sequencing, and supporting agencies’ implementation of minimum risk-management practices. However, NIST said those responsibilities are being addressed separately from today’s RFI.
