NIST Expands AI Consortium’s Scope, Calls for New Members

To broaden its support of collaborative research in artificial intelligence (AI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is extending the scope of an AI-focused consortium it founded two years ago and calling for new members.

Formerly known as the AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), the newly renamed NIST Artificial Intelligence Consortium reflects the group’s augmented goals. While the consortium will continue some of its previous work, it will concentrate on AI measurement, innovation and adoption. Among other efforts, the group will focus on building an AI evaluation ecosystem, investing in AI-enabled science and promoting the use of U.S.-developed AI technology and systems.

In addition to expanding the consortium’s mission, NIST is seeking to expand its membership and inviting new members to join.

“We are inviting technically capable organizations to join the NIST AI Consortium to address the challenges associated with the development and deployment of AI,” said Deputy NIST Director Craig Burkhardt. “To encourage more extraordinary AI technological innovations, NIST is seeking to expand its AI measurement efforts by harnessing the broader community’s interests and capabilities.” 

NIST initially announced its establishment of the Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium in 2023, bringing together more than 280 organizations to develop science-based and empirically backed guidelines and standards for AI measurement and laying a foundation for global AI metrology.