The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has tapped its Chief Information Officer (CIO) David Nelson to serve as the NRC’s lead on AI operations, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk today. Nelson also serves as the commission’s chief data officer.
Nelson will serve as the chief AI officer (CAIO) at the NRC, an agency for which he has held the CIO role since 2016.
Nelson has served in the Federal government since 2004, according to his LinkedIn page. Before joining the NRC, he worked for more than a decade at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where he held the CIO title from 2014 to 2016.
President Joe Biden’s recent executive order on AI requires Federal agencies to name officials to the CAIO position. As a regulatory agency, the NRC is exempt from CAIO requirements, but the agency said in an emailed statement that it is “analyzing the executive order and assessing whether and how it applies” given its independent status.
“We’re aware of the growth of AI and the need to prepare for its use in the nuclear field,” the NRC said.
“For those reasons, we issued an AI Strategic Plan that outlines our need to cultivate an AI-proficient workforce, keep pace with AI technological innovations, and ensure the safe and secure use of AI in NRC-regulated activities,” the spokesperson said.
The NRC issued its AI Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2023 to 2027 last year, setting five goals for the agency to cultivate an AI-proficient workforce, keep pace with AI technological innovations, and ensure the safe and secure use of AI in NRC-regulated activities.
The five strategic goals include: ensuring NRC readiness for regulatory decision making; establishing an organizational framework to review AI applications; strengthening and expanding AI partnerships; cultivating an AI-proficient workforce; and pursuing use cases to build an AI foundation across the agency.
