US AI Safety Institute could face big cuts

Reports suggest that the National Institute of Standards and Technology may be letting go of up to 500 employees, posing a threat to the AI safety organization within the institute.

According to Axios, the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, both housed under NIST, are facing significant layoffs targeting probationary employees. Some of these employees have already received verbal notice of their impending terminations, as reported by Bloomberg.

Even before the recent layoff announcements, the future of AISI was uncertain. The institute, tasked with studying AI risks and developing standards, was established last year under President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI safety. However, President Donald Trump revoked this order on his first day back in office, and AISI’s director resigned earlier this month.

Various AI safety and policy organizations have voiced concerns about the reported layoffs. Jason Green-Lowe, executive director of the Center for AI Policy, stated, “These cuts, if confirmed, would severely impact the government’s capacity to research and address critical AI safety concerns at a time when such expertise is more vital than ever.”