Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
The agency at the heart of AI safety is waiting for President Trump to announce who he wants as its head.
Why it matters: The National Institute of Standards and Technology is home to the U.S. AI Safety Institute, which establishes testing and guidelines for AI developers.
- It also houses the CHIPS for America program, with offices overseeing semiconductor R&D and grants under the CHIPS and Science Act.
State of play: Craig Burkhardt is serving as acting NIST director until a director is confirmed by the Senate. President Trump has not nominated anyone.
- Burkhardt can serve for 210 days after the post's vacancy date, taking him to roughly August.
- Burkhardt was previously appointed by the White House to serve as chief counsel for technology at the Commerce Department from 2003 to 2006.
Catch up quick: Former NIST director Laurie Locascio stepped down in January to become CEO of the American National Standards Institute, a nonprofit that administers industry standards.
- Under Locascio, the agency recruited top talent to help carry out the Biden-era AI executive order's many tasks.
- That included an AI Risk Management Framework companion for generative AI, guidelines for red teaming, guidance for auditing, a report on labeling synthetic content and a plan for global engagement.
That work is waning, as Trump rescinded the executive order and Republicans signal they want a hands-off approach to regulation.
- The administration is taking feedback on a new AI plan as incoming officials say they want standards.
- "The NIST AI Safety Institute faced criticism in an election year, but by and large, NIST's work on developing voluntary AI standards enjoys broad bipartisan support from industry and policy makers," DLA Piper AI policy head Tony Samp said.
- The AI Safety Institute has so far lost its leader and its staff have been left out of a major AI summit in Paris this week.
Trump has also repeatedly blasted CHIPS.
- While Howard Lutnick, his pick to lead Commerce, has said he supports strengthening domestic manufacturing, he's been noncommittal on whether promised money will fully get out the door.
Burkhardt, at least for now, is in charge and already fielding congressional probes over Trump's executive orders and how he'll implement them.
- House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren gave Burkhardt until Friday to answer questions about Trump's executive orders to dismantle DEI programs.
- "I am profoundly disturbed by President Trump's attack on American science," Lofgren wrote.
- "I am also disturbed that NIST, which plays such a critical role in supporting innovation and competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology, appears willing to carry out these destructive policies without pushback or protest."
What we're watching: NIST's AISI is making some regulatory headway, though it continues to be voluntary.
