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The Trump administration on Tuesday announced that it had reached new agreements with Microsoft, Google DeepMind and Elon Musk’s xAI to expand collaboration with Big Tech companies in researching artificial intelligence (AI) and security.
The Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), which is part of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, will work with the AI companies on pre-deployment evaluations as well as targeted research into frontier AI capabilities and AI security.
The new agreements build on previously announced partnerships between CAISI and the companies, supporting information-sharing, driving voluntary product improvements and ensuring a clear understanding in government of AI capabilities and the state of international AI competition.
“Independent, rigorous measurement science is essential to understanding frontier AI and its national security implications,” said CAISI Director Chris Fall. “These expanded industry collaborations help us scale our work in the public interest at a critical moment.”
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Developers frequently provide CAISI with models that have reduced or removed safeguards to evaluate national security-related capabilities and risks.
Evaluators from across government agencies may participate in evaluations and regularly provide feedback through the TRAINS Taskforce, which is a group of interagency experts focused on AI national security concerns.
CAISI’s agreements support testing in classified environments and were drafted with flexibility to respond to continued advancements in AI.
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Microsoft chief responsible AI officer Natasha Crampton said in a release that the agreements will “advance the science of AI testing and evaluation, including through collaborative work to test Microsoft’s frontier models, assess safeguards, and help mitigate national security and large-scale public safety risks.”
Crampton said that “ongoing, rigorous testing is essential to building trust and confidence in advanced AI systems.”
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“Well-constructed tests help us understand whether our systems are working as intended and delivering the benefits they are designed to provide. Testing also helps us stay ahead of risks, such as AI-driven cyberattacks and other criminal misuses of AI systems, that can emerge once advanced AI systems are deployed in the world,” Crampton explained.
Microsoft also announced a similar agreement with the United Kingdom’s AI Security Institute (AISI) to govern AI testing and evaluation.
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