[co-author: Christina Barone, Public Policy Specialist]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a final draft plan to prioritize federal agency engagement in the development of standards for artificial intelligence (AI). After broad public and private sector input, NIST released their plan entitled, “U.S. Leadership in AI: A Plan for Federal Engagement in Developing Technical Standards and Related Tools.”

The plan recommends that the federal government commit to deeper, consistent, long-term engagement in AI standards development activities to help the United States speed the pace of reliable, robust and trustworthy AI technology development. The final plan was prepared in response to the President’s Executive Order 13859 directing federal agencies to ensure that the United States maintains its position as a leader in AI. Specifically, the plan directs the federal government to:

• Bolster AI standards-related knowledge, leadership and coordination among federal agencies to maximize effectiveness and efficiency.
• Promote focused research to advance and accelerate broader exploration and understanding of how aspects of trustworthiness can be practically incorporated within standards and standards related tools.
• Support and expand public private partnerships to develop and use AI standards and related tools to advance reliable, robust and trustworthy AI.
• Strategically engage with international parties to advance AI standards for United States economic and national security needs.