Commerce Announces Working Group on Generative AI

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced last week that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will convene a new working group on artificial intelligence (AI).

The group is tasked with helping the Biden administration address the challenges and opportunities associated with AI and develop guidance to help organizations address the special risks associated with generative AI technologies. The formation of the working group came after President Biden convened a meeting last month with leading AI experts and researchers in San Francisco.

“President Biden has been clear that we must work to harness the enormous potential while managing the risks posed by AI to our economy, national security and society,” Raimondo said. “The recently released NIST AI Risk Management Framework can help minimize the potential for harm from generative AI technologies. Building on the framework, this new public working group will help provide essential guidance for those organizations that are developing, deploying and using generative AI, and who have a responsibility to ensure its trustworthiness.”

The new public working group will draw upon volunteers with technical expertise in AI from the private and public sectors. The initial goal of the group will be to gather input on guidance on how the NIST AI Risk Management Framework can support development of generative AI technologies. Longer-term goals include exploring specific opportunities to increase the likelihood that generative AI technologies can be productively used to address some of the top challenges we face like health, the environment and climate change.

Those interested in joining the working group, which will be facilitated via a collaborative online workspace, should complete this form no later than July 9.