NIST AI consortium reemerges with new name, scope and call for members

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Safety Consortium will now be called the NIST Artificial Intelligence Consortium, the agency said Friday, continuing a shift in approach to the technology under President Donald Trump.

According to NIST’s announcement, the renamed group will retain some of its previous work but will change its scope. The group is also seeking new member organizations to carry out its aims.

“To encourage more extraordinary AI technological innovations, NIST is seeking to expand its AI measurement efforts by harnessing the broader community’s interests and capabilities,” Craig Burkhardt, deputy NIST director, said in a statement included in the release.

The decision comes about a year after the Trump administration changed the name of NIST’s AI Safety Institute, pivoting away from “safety.” That organization, which was originally established under the Biden administration, is now called the Center for AI Standards and Innovation. 

It’s also the first news about the consortium in some time. The consortium was established in 2024 alongside the AI Safety Institute as a venue for input from companies, universities, and other organizations on measurement standards for AI safety. It launched with about 200 industry partners and, per the Friday announcement, got up to about 280 members.

Since its establishment, it’s been unclear what the organization has been doing. Records of its meetings, goals, or accomplishments haven’t been shared publicly by the agency, making it difficult to track. However, the Trump administration did mention the consortium in its AI Action Plan last year.

That document of AI policy suggestions included a recommendation that the consortium would foster collaboration with industry on a measurement science for AI that would “promote the development of AI” — again, continuing the trend away from safety. Per the Friday announcement, the name change and shift in scope are the result of that recommendation.

Under the reorganization, six so-called “task groups” will carry out work. Those groups will be focused on testing and evaluation; risks and impacts; evaluation science and measurement; bias and limitations of generative tools; documentation cards; and chemical and biological security.

According to the announcement, NIST is looking for organizations with relevant technical capabilities to indicate their interest and will select members “on a first-come, first-served basis.” While current members don’t need to reapply, NIST’s release said they will be asked to sign an amendment agreeing to the consortium’s alterations.