U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on Feb. 7 announced key members of the executive leadership team to lead the U.S. AI Safety Institute (AISI) – which will be established at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).
Raimondo named the White House’s Elizabeth Kelly to lead the AISI as its inaugural director and NIST’s Elham Tabassi to serve as chief technology officer (CTO).
NIST announced the new AISI in November 2023 at the direction of President Biden to support the responsibilities assigned to the Department of Commerce under the administration’s landmark AI executive order.
“For the United States to lead the world in the development of safe, responsible AI, we need the brightest minds at the helm,” Raimondo said. “I’m proud to announce that Elizabeth Kelly will lead the AI Safety Institute. I’m also thrilled that Elham Tabassi will expand her work at NIST and play a central role on our executive leadership team. Together, they will provide the direction and expertise we need to mitigate the risks that come with the development of this generation-defining technology, so that we can harness its potential.”
Kelly currently serves as special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House National Economic Council, where she helps lead the administration’s efforts on financial regulation and technology policy, including AI.
As its inaugural director, Kelly will be responsible for providing executive leadership, management, and oversight of the AISI and coordinating with other AI policy and technical initiatives throughout the department, NIST, and across the government.
“The Safety Institute’s ambitious mandate to develop guidelines, evaluate models, and pursue fundamental research will be vital to addressing the risks and seizing the opportunities of AI. I am thrilled to work with the talented NIST team and the broader AI community to advance our scientific understanding and foster AI safety,” Kelly said in a statement. “While our first priority will be executing the tasks assigned to NIST in President Biden’s executive order, I look forward to building the Institute as a long-term asset for the country and the world.”
Tabassi is the chief AI advisor at NIST as well as the associate director of emerging technologies in NIST’s IT Lab. As the Trustworthy and Responsible AI program lead, she spearheaded development of the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
As AISI’s CTO, Tabassi will be responsible for leading key technical programs of the institute, focused on supporting the development and deployment of AI that is safe, secure, and trustworthy. She will be responsible for shaping efforts at NIST and with the broader AI community to conduct research, develop guidance, and conduct evaluations of AI models including advanced large language models in order to identify and mitigate AI safety risks.
“The USAISI will advance American leadership globally in responsible AI innovations that will make our lives better. We must have a firm understanding of the technology, its current and emerging capabilities, and limitations. NIST is taking the lead to create the science, practice, and policy of AI safety and trustworthiness. I am thrilled to be part of this remarkable team, leading the effort to develop science-based, and empirically backed guidelines and standards for AI measurement and policy,” Tabassi said in a statement.
