DLA Piper named founding member of NIST’s US AI Safety Institute Consortium in support of safe, trustworthy AI

DLA Piper is proud to announce that the firm was selected as a founding member of the US AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), a first-of-its-kind group housed under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The AISIC’s mission is to support the development and deployment of safe and trustworthy AI.

As the only global law firm selected as a founding member, among a consortium of over 200 leading institutions, DLA Piper will advise and assist in developing science-based and empirically backed guidelines and standards for AI measurement and policy, laying the foundation for AI safety across the world. DLA Piper’s global Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Practice is an industry unique team that consists of over 100 lawyers, data scientists, coders, and policymakers focused on AI worldwide. The group has been widely recognized as the leading AI law practice, lauded by Financial Times, American Lawyer, Business Insider and others. DLA Piper’s broad range of capabilities will allow the firm to provide guidance to NIST on solutions that are achievable from a technical, legal and policy perspective.

“Scalable and broadly accepted safety standards are urgently needed. Such standards would provide a critical framework for advancing AI safety, enabling developers and users alike to navigate the ethical and practical dilemmas posed by AI technologies,” said Danny Tobey, chair of DLA Piper’s AI and Data Analytics Practice.

The consortium will contribute to priority actions outlined in President Biden’s landmark Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence, including developing guidelines for red-teaming, capability evaluations, risk management, safety and security, and watermarking synthetic content.

“NIST is precisely positioned to spearhead this initiative, and its collaborative socio-technical approach will shape a future where AI is not only powerful and pervasive but also safe and socially responsible,” Tobey added. “We look forward to applying our legal and compliance perspective to the development of AI safety standards that are not only theoretically sound but also practically applicable.”

“NIST is the gold-standard for developing scientific benchmarks and guidelines for trustworthy AI. We are grateful for their leadership and look forward to working alongside NIST and other founding members to help lay the foundation for AI safety around the world,” said Tony Samp, head of AI Policy at DLA Piper. 

Building upon its long track record of working with the private and public sectors and its history of reliable and practical measurement and standards-oriented solutions, NIST will work with research collaborators through the AISIC who can support this vital undertaking. The work of the consortium will be open and transparent and provide a hub for interested parties to work together in building and maturing a measurement science for trustworthy and responsible AI.