Schumer Unveils $10 Million Funding for NIST AI Safety Institute Amid Ongoing Financial Challenges

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced today that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will receive up to $10 million to establish the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (USAISI). This initiative was created in November 2023 to support the Department of Commerce's responsibilities under the AI Executive Order.

Details about the institute's operations and its funding have been largely unclear, as NIST, with a staff of around 3,400 and an annual budget exceeding $1.6 billion, has faced chronic underfunding. Recently, the Washington Post reported on NIST's deteriorating facilities, which suffer from issues such as a leaking roof and black mold.

Schumer emphasized the importance of AI funding, calling it a “strong down payment” on implementing the Biden administration’s executive order on AI. He stated, “As Majority Leader, I have emphasized that our government must establish smart guardrails to ensure that the U.S. remains a leader in innovation while also addressing potential risks associated with artificial intelligence. I fought for this funding to prioritize innovation, safety, accountability, and transparency, supporting American industry and progress.”

The NIST AI Institute will focus on developing safety, security, and testing standards for AI models, authenticating AI-generated content, and establishing testing environments for researchers to assess emerging AI risks. The institute will collaborate with a consortium of 200 companies and organizations dedicated to enhancing the safety and accountability of AI systems.

Despite this progress, there have been criticisms regarding NIST’s funding and transparency. In February, House Science Committee members expressed concerns over NIST's lack of transparency in a letter that highlighted the absence of a competitive process for planned research grants related to the USAISI. This concern was particularly regarding a proposed AI research partnership between NIST and the RAND Corporation, a prominent think tank with ties to tech billionaires and the AI industry.

The lawmakers noted, “The current state of the AI safety research field presents challenges for NIST as it assumes a leadership role,” adding that the findings in the field often lack external review and exhibit significant disagreement on scope and definitions.

Rumman Chowdhury, who previously led AI initiatives at Accenture and served on Twitter (now X)’s META team, acknowledged funding issues for the USAISI. She remarked, “One of the under-discussed aspects is that this is an unfunded mandate via the executive order. Given the current polarization in U.S. politics, it’s challenging to pass any kind of bill through Congress, which is why it came through an executive order. The problem remains that there is no funding for it.”