U.S. AI Safety Institute Establishes New U.S. Government Taskforce to Collaborate on Research and Testing of AI Models to Manage National Security Capabilities & Risks The Testing Risks of AI for National Security (TRAINS)
Taskforce brings together experts from Commerce, Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, NSA, and NIH to address national security concerns and strengthen American leadership in AI innovation. November 20, 2024
November 20, 2024
Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the formation of the Testing Risks of AI for National Security (TRAINS) Taskforce, which brings together partners from across the U.S. Government to identify, measure, and manage the emerging national security and public safety implications of rapidly evolving AI technology. This announcement comes as the United States is set to host the first-ever convening of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes in San Francisco.
The Taskforce will enable coordinated research and testing of advanced AI models across critical national security and public safety domains, such as radiological and nuclear security, chemical and biological security, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, conventional military capabilities, and more.
These efforts will advance the U.S. government imperative to maintain American leadership in AI development and prevent adversaries from misusing American innovation to undermine national security.
The TRAINS Taskforce is chaired by the U.S. AI Safety Institute and includes initial representation from the following federal agencies:
- The Department of Defense, including the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and the National Security Agency
- The Department of Energy and ten of its National Laboratories
- The Department of Homeland Security, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the Department of Health and Human Services
Each member will lend its unique subject matter expertise, technical infrastructure, and resources to the Taskforce and will collaborate on the development of new AI evaluation methods and benchmarks, as well as conduct joint national security risk assessments and red-teaming exercises.
“Enabling safe, secure, and trustworthy AI innovation is not just an economic priority – it’s a public safety and national security imperative,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Every corner of the country is impacted by the rapid progress in AI, which is why establishing the TRAINS Taskforce is such an important step to unite our federal resources and ensure we’re pulling every lever to address the challenges of this generation-defining technology. The U.S. AI Safety Institute will continue to lead by centralizing the top-notch national security and AI expertise that exists across government in order to harness the benefits of AI for the betterment of the American people and American business.”
This effort operationalizes the whole-of-government approach to AI safety, as directed by the recent National Security Memorandum on AI, and the TRAINS Taskforce is expected to expand its membership across the federal government as its work continues.