Elizabeth Kelly, Elham Tabassi to Lead AI Safety Institute at NIST

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has announced that Elizabeth Kelly will serve as the first director of the U.S. AI Safety Institute, a new regulatory body within the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Kelly, who concurrently serves as special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House National Economic Council, will manage the AISI and will coordinate with other artificial intelligence policy and technical efforts throughout the government, the Department of Commerce said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Raimondo designated Elham Tabassi as the AISI’s chief technology officer. Tabassi most recently served as the associate director for emerging technologies in NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory.

According to Raimondo, Kelly and Tabassi will guide the government’s efforts to reduce risks associated with AI.

The AISI is intended to aid in implementing NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework by providing assessment and mitigation guidance. The new regulatory body is expected to house a consortium of organizations with AI safety expertise to facilitate information sharing and research cooperation.

In January, lawmakers called on the Senate Appropriations Committee to allocate $10 million in fiscal year 2024 funds for the AISI.