ITIF's Center for Data Innovation filed comments with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) about AI standards development. Robust technical standards for AI will be crucial to the success of the technology in the United States and abroad because they can serve as authoritative guidelines and benchmarks for the development and evaluation of AI. However thus far, concerns about the oversight of AI have stymied productive discussions about standards development by causing policymakers to prioritize oversight at the expense of technical understanding. NIST should shift this focus back to technical standards development to provide a sound scientific underpinning for any future efforts to increase oversight of AI. Additionally, NIST should strengthen U.S. leadership in developing AI standards and encouraging their broad adoption to ensure a globally competitive marketplace.
