Reports indicate that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) could soon lay off up to 500 employees, which may significantly affect the AI safety initiatives within the organization. According to Axios, both the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, divisions within NIST, are expected to be hit hard, with probationary employees (usually those in their first two years) facing termination. Bloomberg further reported that some employees have already received verbal notifications of the upcoming layoffs.
AISI, created last year under President Biden’s executive order to address AI risks and develop standards, has faced challenges even before the layoffs. The institute’s future has been uncertain, especially after President Trump rescinded Biden’s AI safety order on his first day back in office. AISI’s director resigned earlier this February.
AI safety and policy organizations have voiced strong concerns over the potential layoffs. Jason Green-Lowe, executive director of the Center for AI Policy, stressed that these cuts could severely hinder the government’s ability to research and address urgent AI safety issues, especially at a time when such expertise is increasingly crucial.
