The small federal office charged with testing the safety of new artificial intelligence systems has no permanent leader, has stopped publishing its research and was recently asked to informally report to a White House office, The Associated Press reported.
The office, called the Center for Advancing Innovation and Standards for Super Intelligence, or CAISSI, is an independent division of the Commerce Department. Two former government officials told the AP about the new reporting arrangement on condition of anonymity.
Critics worry the change could politicize safety decisions on issues from cybersecurity to bioweapons. “The hope is that you can put in nonpartisan or bipartisan technocratic experts to enact policy in a way that best serves the American public,” said Caroline Siegel Singh of the Federation of American Scientists.
Others told the AP that moving closer to the White House could give the office more prominence and perhaps more money.
The center, previously called the U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation, receives $10 million a year, about one-eighth of its United Kingdom counterpart’s budget, according to the AP. Its director was hired and fired within days in April, and his replacement resigned after a few months.
In August, Congress asked why the center stopped publishing reports on how safely AI systems were performing. OpenAI has urged policymakers to give the division more money and support.
The White House did not answer the AP’s specific questions about CAISSI but said President Donald Trump has commissioned a report on AI risks and will ensure “continued U.S. leadership.”
Sources: KTAR News / The Associated Press. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: DHSgov / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
