AI Safety Institute Renamed Center for AI Standards and Innovation

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2025 – Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick plans to rebuild the U.S. AI Safety Institute, rebranding it to become the Center for AI Standards and Innovation. 

Lutnick’s statement released Tuesday said that the new institute will “focus on demonstrable risks, such as cybersecurity, biosecurity, and chemical weapons” in its evaluations. It will also investigate “malign foreign influence arising from use of adversaries’ AI systems.” 

The Trump administration has so far signaled a hands-off approach to regulating AI, and now it’s looking to take that philosophy global. The rebranded CAISI has been directed to “represent U.S. interests internationally to guard against burdensome and unnecessary regulation of American technologies by foreign governments.”

“For far too long, censorship and regulations have been used under the guise of national security. Innovators will no longer be limited by these standards,” Lutnick wrote. “CAISI will evaluate and enhance U.S. innovation of these rapidly developing commercial AI systems while ensuring they remain secure to our national security standards.”

The AI Safety Institute was established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology following an executive directive from former President Joe Biden to establish “safe, secure, and trustworthy AI,” in November 2023.

Through partnerships with more than 200 academic institutions, industry leaders, and global allies, the institute sought to develop science-based benchmarks for risk assessment, promote best practices, and guide responsible innovation in both the public and private sectors.

However, President Donald Trump repealed Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI within hours of taking office, dismantling a framework that had required companies to share safety data on advanced AI systems with the federal government.

Alongside a proposed 10-year moratorium on new state-level AI regulations, the Trump administration said it was positioning the United States to lead in global AI development by clearing the path for unregulated innovation.