The National Institute of Standards and Technology could fire as many as 500 staffers, according to multiple alerts — cuts that further dangeren a fledgling AI protectedty organization.
Axios alerted this week that the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, both part of NIST, would be “gutted” by layoffs aiming probationary includeees (who are typicpartner in their first year or two on the job). And Bloomberg shelp some of those includeees had already been given verbal accomprehendledge of upcoming terminations.
Even before the tardyst layoff alerts, AISI’s future was seeing uncertain. The institute, which is supposed to study hazards and enhuge standards around AI enhugement, was created last year as part of then-Plivent Joe Biden’s executive order on AI protectedty. Plivent Donald Trump repealed that order on his first day back in office, and AISI’s honestor departed earlier in February.
Fortune spoke to a number of AI protectedty and policy organizations who all condemnd the alerted layoffs.
“These cuts, if verifyed, would strictly impact the handlement’s capacity to research and insertress critical AI protectedty troubles at a time when such expertise is more vital than ever,” shelp Jason Green-Lowe, executive honestor of the Cgo in for AI Policy.
