How To Comply With NIST AI Risk Management Framework Requirements

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) on January 26, 2023. This comprehensive framework is designed for voluntary use, providing organizations with guidelines to enhance AI systems' trustworthiness and to foster responsible AI design, development, deployment, and usage.

Complying with NIST AI RMF involves several key steps:

1. Understanding AI RMF: Learn about the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, including its goals, guidelines, and processes.
2. Identification of AI Systems: Inventory every AI system in your organization, noting its objectives, data inputs, outputs, and potential risks.
3. Risk Assessment: Perform detailed risk assessments for each AI system to identify potential threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts on the organization's mission and objectives.
4. Risk Level Categorization: Classify each AI system based on the identified risks and prioritize the most significant risks.
5. Risk Mitigation Strategies: Develop and implement strategies to mitigate identified risks, which may include technical controls, process changes, or governance measures.
6. Regular Testing and Validation: Conduct ongoing tests and validations to ensure AI systems function as intended and manage emerging risks effectively.
7. Comprehensive Documentation: Maintain detailed documentation of all risk management steps, including assessments, strategies, and test results.
8. Continuous Monitoring: Implement continuous monitoring to identify and address risks associated with evolving AI systems.

The NIST AI RMF's Core Functions

• Govern: Develops a risk management culture and integrates trustworthy AI characteristics into organizational policies, addressing legal, ethical, and societal risks.
• Map: Identifies and contextualizes AI system risks, enhancing understanding and mitigating negative impacts.
• Measure: Employs tools to analyze, assess, and monitor AI risks, tracking metrics for trustworthy AI characteristics.
• Manage: Assigns resources to manage identified risks, focusing on response, recovery, and communication plans.