The Department of Commerce has announced plans to rebrand the AI Safety Institute into the Center for AI Standards and Innovation to address hindrances to advancing the development of artificial intelligence systems.
“For far too long, censorship and regulations have been used under the guise of national security,” said Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. “Innovators will no longer be limited by these standards. CAISI will evaluate and enhance U.S. innovation of these rapidly developing commercial AI systems while ensuring they remain secure to our national security standards.”
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The planned reform comes after the Trump administration repealed former President Joe Biden’s AI executive order and issued an EO to remove barriers to U.S. leadership in AI.
AISI, operating within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, was established in 2023 under the Biden administration. According to a press release from the Commerce Department, the new body will remain a part of NIST and will have responsibilities similar to AISI, including developing guidance and best practices for AI system security, working with industry to develop voluntary standards, conducting evaluations of models to identify potential risks to national security and coordinating with other agencies on the development of evaluation methods.
The department said the change will ensure that it uses its scientific and industrial expertise to evaluate and understand the capabilities of AI products and identify vulnerabilities and threats within systems developed in the United States and abroad.
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