Citing Innovation, Industry Warns NIST Not to Develop ‘Premature’ AI Standards

The National Institute of Standards and Technology shouldn’t rush developing artificial intelligence standards and should rely on existing international efforts, stakeholders commented through Monday (see 1905300048). A “rush to impose standards could hamper innovation or lead to standards that quickly become irrelevant as technology advances,” AT&T said. Microsoft said it’s “premature” to develop “sector‐specific vertical standards at this time,” given AI’s continued development. Shift focus to promoting development of “open frameworks, shared definitions, and related tools -- including evaluations, data sets, and metrics,” IBM recommended. “Premature standardization is even more important to avoid given the rapid rate of innovation,” the Information Technology Industry Council said. Rather than creating new standards, “look to existing data standards for acquisition, storage, access and use,” ITI said. The association emphasized existing international standards established by organizations like the International Organization of Standardization/IEC Joint Technical Committee. Microsoft also urged NIST to retain international principles like those from the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development. The agency should address analysis gaps with government, academia and industry, but it needs to avoid “becoming a standards‐setting organization,” the company said. Like Microsoft and ITI, BSA|The Software Alliance backed “robust” U.S. participation in the development of international standards. Global standards “have the added benefit of mitigating the risks that can accompany country-specific standards,” BSA said. Strive for federal standards in the handling and securing AI data, the Center for Democracy & Technology said, and emphasize transparency for AI development. Establish a “uniform vocabulary for describing structures, elements, parameters, hyperparameters, and techniques for developing” machine learning systems, CDT said.