National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — Information Technology Laboratory and AI programmes
- Type
- Government body
- Place
- United States — United States (federal), US Department of Commerce
- Last checked
- 2026-09-22
- Next check due
- 2027-03-21
Ways to reach them
- NIST ITL AI contact
- Federal Register notices for NIST AI drafts and RFIs
- NIST AI landing page (drafts open for comment listed here)
- Homepage
What it does
Non-regulatory standards agency. Publishes the AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) and its profiles (including Generative AI and critical-infrastructure profiles), measurement science, benchmarks and evaluation methods. Hosts CAISI and the NIST AI Consortium. In Dec 2025 NIST also launched centers for AI in manufacturing and critical infrastructure. Its outputs are voluntary but are widely incorporated by reference into procurement, insurance and state law.
Its powers
research
Honest assessment
NIST's public-comment process is one of the genuinely effective US routes: comment periods on draft NIST AI publications are real, staff read and tabulate every submission, and substantive technical comments visibly change the text between draft and final. The trick is timing — you must catch the window, which is announced in the Federal Register and on the NIST AI page, not by writing in unsolicited. Technical specificity beats advocacy: NIST responds to measurement proposals, not to position statements.
Notes
Non-regulatory by statute. NIST cannot compel, fine or investigate anyone.