In its latest effort to support safe use of artificial intelligence (AI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking feedback on four draft publications to help improve the safety, security, and trustworthiness of AI systems.
NIST’s new publications, which cover varied aspects of AI technology, are part of the agency’s response to the Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI, announced in October 2023. NIST reported that it would work with private and public stakeholders to carry out its responsibilities under the EO.
Contribute to ANSI’s Coordinated Response on “A Plan for Global Engagement on AI Standards”
ANSI will submit a coordinated response on behalf of the standards community on one of the draft publications: NIST AI 100-5, A Plan for Global Engagement on AI Standards. The document is designed to drive the worldwide development and implementation of AI-related consensus standards, cooperation and coordination, and information sharing. According to NIST, “The draft invites feedback on areas and topics that may be urgent for AI standardization. Such topics, which are ready for standardization, include mechanisms for enhancing awareness of the origin of digital content, whether authentic or synthetic; and shared practices for testing, evaluation, verification, and validation of AI systems. Other topics may require more scientific research and development to establish a foundational scientific understanding about critical components of the potential standard.”
To contribute to ANSI’s coordinated response, ANSI members and constituents are encouraged to send their comments to Mary Saunders, ANSI senior vice president for government relations and public policy ([email protected]) by May 20, 2024. In particular, comments are requested on:
Respond to the NIST Draft AI Guidance Documents
ANSI also encourages interested stakeholders to submit comments directly to NIST on NIST AI 100-5 and the three other draft publications:
Comments must be sent to NIST by June 2, 2024.
“For all its potentially transformative benefits, generative AI also brings risks that are significantly different from those we see with traditional software. These guidance documents will not only inform software creators about these unique risks, but also help them develop ways to mitigate the risks while supporting innovation,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST director Laurie E. Locascio.
NIST’s GenAI Challenge
In further efforts to support the EO, NIST has launched a challenge series: NIST GenAI. The new evaluation program, administered by the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, will include a series of challenge problems to evaluate and measure the capabilities and limitations of generative AI technologies. One of the goals is to help people determine whether a human or an AI produced a given text, image, video, or audio recording.
“Evaluations will be used to identify strategies to promote information integrity and guide the safe and responsible use of digital content,” NIST reports.
Registration opens in May for pilot evaluation registration, with more information available on the NIST GenAI website.
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