According to multiple media reports, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) plans to cut up to 500 employees, a decision that further threatens the newly established American Institute for AI Safety (AISI). Axios reports that AISI and the "American Chips Initiative" will face "significant" layoffs affecting probationary employees, who are typically new hires with one to two years of service. Bloomberg indicates that some employees have already received verbal notices of impending layoffs.

Layoffs

Prior to the latest layoff news, the future of AISI was already filled with uncertainty. Established last year, the institute aims to study risks in AI development and establish corresponding standards, based on an executive order on AI safety issued by then-President Joe Biden. However, Donald Trump revoked that order on his first day in office, and the director of AISI also departed in early February.

Several AI safety and policy organizations have expressed concern and criticism regarding this layoff news. Jason Green-Lowe, Executive Director of the AI Policy Center, pointed out: "If these layoffs are true, they will severely impact the government's research and response capabilities on critical AI safety issues, and this expertise is more important now than ever."

AISI's goal is to ensure the safety and compliance of AI technologies, but the current layoff plan may pose greater challenges. With the rapid development of AI technology, related safety standards and research have become increasingly urgent. AISI was widely anticipated at its inception to play a significant role in this field. However, with the reduction in human resources, its research capabilities will be noticeably affected.

Within the tech industry, discussions about AI safety are growing, with calls for increased government regulation and support. While AISI aims to create a safe and responsible AI environment, this series of layoffs has raised significant concerns about its future impact.

Key Points:

🔹 AISI may lay off up to 500 employees, severely affecting its research capabilities.  

🔹 AISI was established last year to study AI risks and develop safety standards.  

🔹 The layoff plan has sparked widespread criticism, with industry experts emphasizing the critical importance of AI safety research at this time.