The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a sweeping reorganization of its approach to artificial intelligence policy, formally transforming the U.S. AI Safety Institute into the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI). The move, revealed by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, reflects the Trump administration’s pivot toward a more pro-innovation, pro-science stance on AI oversight.
“CAISI will evaluate and enhance U.S. innovation of these rapidly developing commercial AI systems while ensuring they remain secure to our national security standards,” Lutnick said in a statement. He criticized what he described as overreaching regulations and censorship imposed under the banner of national security, promising that CAISI would instead support U.S. competitiveness and industrial leadership.
Housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), CAISI will become the federal government’s primary liaison with the private sector for voluntary AI testing, evaluation, and standards development. Its mission includes creating guidelines in partnership with other NIST laboratories, facilitating voluntary agreements with AI developers, and conducting risk-based assessments of both U.S. and foreign AI systems.
CAISI’s focus areas include cybersecurity, biosecurity, chemical weapons, and countering potential foreign adversarial influence, such as AI backdoors or covert behavior embedded in imported technologies. The center will also coordinate with agencies like the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and the Intelligence Community.
Lutnick emphasized that CAISI would serve as a bulwark against what he described as “burdensome and unnecessary regulation” by foreign governments, and that it would help secure U.S. dominance in international AI standards-setting.
The restructured center signals a new direction in federal AI governance—one that prioritizes security, innovation, and voluntary collaboration over regulation.
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