The Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that it would work with large AI companies to test AI frontier models for security and safety risks. This type of government and industry collaboration is essential for advancing AI while protecting national security and public safety. Natasha Crampton, Chief Responsible AI Officer at Microsoft, provides more information here.
Thank you for reading. We’ve rounded up more tech policy news and shared another insightful blog below.
This Week in Washington
- FedScoop: The CREATE AI Act, a bipartisan bill to codify the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), was reintroduced in the Senate. The bill, which is supported by the AI Policy Network, the Information Technology Industry Council, and the Business Software Alliance, would grant permanence and legal standing to the NAIRR, which was initially created as a pilot program in 2023.
- CyberScoop: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) collaborated with counterparts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom on joint guidance about the risks and security strategies of agentic AI.
- New York Times: The White House, in coordination with the AI advisory panel appointed in March, has begun exploring an AI oversight strategy that would include vetting AI models before they are released, according to new reporting. The United Kingdom is planning a similar strategy.
- Telecompetitor: The House of Representatives passed H.R. 7567, known as the Farm Bill. The bill included a number of rural broadband initiatives, including $350 million in rural broadband loans. The bill will next be considered by the Senate.
Article Summary
- StateScoop: The University of California, Berkeley, published a new guidebook demonstrating that cybersecurity programs generate millions of dollars in annual economic value for states. In particular, state cyber corps, which build the cybersecurity workforce, can be worth as much as $7.5 million in annual economic value generated.
- Broadband Breakfast: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $2 million program to deliver high-speed broadband to 700 low-income households over the next two years. The program is coordinated in partnership with the New York Public Library.
- Salt Lake Tribune: Box Elder County, Utah, approved a 40,000-acre data center project coordinated by the state’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA). The project is expected to cost over a billion dollars and intends to generate its own energy and reuse water. Construction is scheduled to begin within the next few months.
Featured Highlight
- Microsoft on the Issues Blog
Amy Hogan-Burney, CVP of Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft, authored a blog on the future of cybersecurity in the face of advanced AI models like Claude Mythos. Hogan-Burney emphasized the importance of core cybersecurity best practices, responsible capability development, strengthened response timelines, and international security collaboration as key strategies to build trust and confidence in our digital ecosystem. Read the full blog.
Note: Voices for Innovation regularly shares a range of opinion articles and press releases from organizations in and publications covering tech policy. These pieces are meant to educate our audience, not to endorse specific platforms or bills.