RegImpact
federal registerproposed· Published 5/29/2026

NIST Artificial Intelligence Consortium

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, previously announced the formation of the Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium ("AISIC") through a publication dated November 2, 2023 (88 FR 75276). AISIC brought together more than 280 organizations to develop science-based and empirically backed guidelines and standards for artificial intelligence (AI) measurement, laying a foundation for global AI metrology. Through this succeeding notice, NIST is announcing the retitling of AISIC as the NIST Artificial Intelligence Consortium ("Consortium"), revising the scope of the Consortium's research, and reissuing its invitation to organizations to submit letters of interest in order to collaborate with NIST, non-profit organizations, industry leaders, universities, and other agencies of the Federal Government in addressing the challenges associated with the development and deployment of AI-based innovations. In support of NIST's directives under the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-283), in accordance with Executive Order 14179 issued January 23, 2025 (Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence), and as mandated by America's AI Action Plan, issued July 2025, NIST will utilize the Consortium to empower the collaborative establishment of a new measurement science that will enable the identification of proven, scalable, and interoperable techniques and metrics to promote the development and use of AI. Interested organizations should describe the technical expertise and products, data, and/or models that they will bring to the Consortium to support the Consortium's collaborative research activities. Participation in the Consortium is open to all interested organizations that can contribute their expertise, products, data, and/or models to the Consortium activities. Selected participants will be required to enter into a Consortium Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NIST. At NIST's discretion, entities that are not legally permitted to enter into CRADAs pursuant to law may be allowed to participate in the Consortium under a separate non-CRADA agreement. Organizations that are already members of the Consortium ("Consortium Members") are not required to reapply to NIST but may be asked to sign amendments to their current agreements with NIST that reflect the refocused direction of the Consortium.

What this rule actually says

NIST (a federal research agency) is opening applications to join a new collaborative consortium focused on AI safety and measurement standards. The consortium brings together companies, universities, nonprofits, and government agencies to develop testing methods and best practices for AI systems. Joining is voluntary—NIST isn't mandating anything; it's inviting interested organizations to participate in research and standard-setting work.

Who it applies to

This regulation applies differently depending on the situation:

  • If building in the US and interested in shaping AI standards: This applies. NIST is actively seeking participants from startups and small companies.
  • If operating outside the US: This doesn't legally require anything, though international founders can still participate.
  • If using any AI use case (medical scribes, hiring tools, chatbots, etc.): No. This isn't a mandate. It's an invitation to *collaborate* on measurement science—not a compliance rule.
  • If handling user data: No trigger here. This is about joining a research consortium, not about data handling requirements.
  • If you want influence over how AI gets measured/regulated: This applies. The standards developed could shape future regulations, so early input matters.

What founders need to do

  1. Decide if it's worth your time (1-2 hours). Ask: Do I want a voice in AI standard-setting? Do I have expertise or data/models to contribute? If no to both, skip this.
  1. If interested, draft a 1-2 page letter of interest (2-3 days). Describe what you'd bring: technical expertise, datasets, trained models, or specific AI safety knowledge. Be concrete (e.g., "trained medical transcription models" beats "AI expertise").
  1. Submit before the deadline (1 day). Check the Federal Register for the submission deadline and portal.
  1. Expect a legal agreement (1-2 weeks if selected). Selected participants sign a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) with NIST. Have a lawyer review it—standard government agreements, but not free.
  1. Participate in consortium activities (ongoing, ~5-10 hours/month estimated). This means attending working groups, sharing research findings, or contributing data/models as committed.

Bottom line

Monitor if you care about AI regulation's future direction; act now only if you have genuinely valuable expertise or data to contribute and want a seat at the standards-setting table.