The US government created an important new tool for companies to responsibly manage artificial intelligence technology when the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published its AI risk management framework (RMF) earlier this year.
A new “crosswalk” analysis showcases the significant common ground between BSA’s 2021 Framework to Build Trust in AI and the new NIST RMF.
The RMF is a major step toward promoting the responsible development and deployment of AI products and services and offers the most significant guidance to date by the US government regarding management of AI technologies.
Risk Management Frameworks, including BSA’s Framework and the NIST RMF, are important accountability tools because they ensure that organizations have the policies, processes, and personnel in place to identify and mitigate risks and can help guard against the unintended consequences of AI.
The NIST RMF creates a lifecycle approach for addressing AI risks. It also identifies characteristics of Trustworthy AI and acknowledges the importance of impact assessments to identify, understand and mitigate risks. Similarly, the BSA Framework addresses issues ranging from acquiring data for use in an AI system to preparation for deployment and use of that system and provides guidance on how to conduct impact assessments.
BSA spent more than a year developing our Framework, which is informed by a vast body of research and technical expertise. In light of BSA’s substantial work on these issues, we actively supported NIST’s development of the RMF.
The “crosswalk” analysis prepared by BSA shows how NIST’s RMF aligns with the BSA Framework. Key takeaways from the crosswalk include that both frameworks recognize the importance of:
- Consultation with a diverse group of stakeholders;
- Establishing processes to identify, assess, and mitigate risks;
- Defining individual roles and responsibilities to people throughout an organization;
- Identifying metrics for evaluation;
- Evaluating fairness and bias;
- Maintaining post-deployment feedback mechanisms; and
- Establishing detailed plans for responding to incidents.
BSA’s framework additionally dives into detail when it comes to identifying and mitigating bias, and offers additional recommendations on issues such as data collection and examination.
Read the full “crosswalk” analysis here and contact BSA Director of Policy Shaundra Watson for more details.