FAS joins US AI Safety Institute Research Consortium
Washington, D.C., February 8, 2024 — The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) announced today its participation in the new AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) launched by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The consortium brings together over 200 organizations working to develop methods for rigorously evaluating and improving the safety of artificial intelligence systems.
“Rigorous scientific analysis of AI systems’ impacts are essential for building public trust,” said Dan Correa, CEO of FAS. “FAS is committed to reducing societal risks from powerful emerging technologies. We’re proud to help shape frameworks to ensure AI safety keeps pace with rapid advances.”
“The U.S. government has a significant role to play in setting the standards and developing the tools we need to mitigate the risks and harness the immense potential of artificial intelligence. President Biden directed us to pull every lever to accomplish two key goals: set safety standards and protect our innovation ecosystem. That’s precisely what the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium is set up to help us do,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
She continues: “Through President Biden’s landmark Executive Order, we will ensure America is at the front of the pack – and by working with this group of leaders from industry, civil society, and academia, together we can confront these challenges to develop the measurements and standards we need to maintain America’s competitive edge and develop AI responsibly.”
In addition to leading tech companies and AI research labs, AISIC includes civil society groups, academic institutions, state/local governments and international partners. FAS’s expertise in science and technology policy will contribute to these vital discussions.
“AI holds immense potential, but we must ensure these systems are reliable and aligned with human values,” said Divyansh Kaushik, FAS’s Associate Director for Emerging Technologies and National Security. “Through this consortium, FAS will collaborate with experts across sectors to tackle the complex challenges in measuring AI safety and mitigating risks.”
FAS has advocated for science and technology policies benefiting society since 1945. The organization continues to contribute scientific expertise to a variety of initiatives.
ABOUT FAS
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.
For more information about the organizations contributing to AISIC, click here.
The emerging federal metascience community is asking fascinating questions that are equally vital for democratic legitimacy: beyond “did this program work” to “how does the federal R&D enterprise itself work, and how could it work better?”
If you’re new to the climate intervention space, welcome! The TL;DR: if we can’t stop the most catastrophic impacts of climate change with current tools quickly enough, then we need a bigger toolbox.
After months of delay, the council tasked by President Trump to review the FEMA released its final report. Our disaster policy nerds have thoughts.
FAS and FLI partnered to build a series of convenings and reports across the intersections of artificial intelligence (AI) with biosecurity, cybersecurity, nuclear command and control, military integration, and frontier AI governance. This project brought together leaders across these areas and created a space that was rigorous, transpartisan, and solutions-oriented to approach how we should think about how AI is rapidly changing global risks.