The Role of AI Safety Institutes in Contributing to International Standards for Frontier AI Safety

TL;DR

This paper discusses how AI Safety Institutes can effectively contribute to international standards for frontier AI safety through three proposed models, emphasizing their unique position and collaborative potential.

Contribution

It introduces three models for AISI involvement in international AI safety standard-setting, highlighting their roles and potential for a coordinated multi-track approach.

Findings

Three models for AISI involvement are proposed and evaluated.

A multi-track system can enhance coherence and consistency in AI safety standards.

AISIs' unique position enables them to lead international AI safety efforts.

Abstract

International standards are crucial for ensuring that frontier AI systems are developed and deployed safely around the world. Since the AI Safety Institutes (AISIs) possess in-house technical expertise, mandate for international engagement, and convening power in the national AI ecosystem while being a government institution, we argue that they are particularly well-positioned to contribute to the international standard-setting processes for AI safety. In this paper, we propose and evaluate three models for AISI involvement: 1. Seoul Declaration Signatories, 2. US (and other Seoul Declaration Signatories) and China, and 3. Globally Inclusive. Leveraging their diverse strengths, these models are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they offer a multi-track system solution in which the central role of AISIs guarantees coherence among the different tracks and consistency in their AI safety focus.