The Biden-Harris Administration announced November 1 that the U.S. Department of Commerce, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will establish the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (USAISI). The Institute is set to lead the U.S. government’s efforts on AI safety and trust, particularly for evaluating the most advanced AI models. USAISI will support the responsibilities assigned to the Department of Commerce under the historic executive order that President Biden signed October 31.

The Department of Commerce said the USAISI will facilitate the development of standards for safety, security, and testing of AI models, develop standards for authenticating AI-generated content, and provide testing environments for researchers to evaluate emerging AI risks and address known impacts. USAISI, led by NIST, will call upon outside expertise, including working with partners in academia, industry, government, and civil society to advance AI safety. 

In addition, the Department of Commerce said, USAISI will work with similar institutes in ally and partner nations, including with the U.K.’s AI Safety Institute, to align and coordinate work in this sphere. 

The November 1 announcement coincides with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s participation in the AI Safety Summit 2023 in the U.K., with Vice President Kamala Harris.