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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is facing an internal crisis as team members and scientists have threatened to resign over the expected appointment of Paul Christiano to a decisive role in the new American AI Safety Institute (AISI), according to at least two sources with direct knowledge of the situation who requested to remain anonymous.
Christiano, who is known for his ties to the Effective Altruism (EA) movement and its long-term mission (a perspective that prioritizes the long-term future of humanity, popularized by philosopher William MacAskill), apparently rushed through the recruitment process without anyone knowing until now, one of the sources said.
Christiano's appointment, said to have come directly from Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo (NIST is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce), has stirred anger among NIST employees who fear that Christiano's connection with EA and long-termism may jeopardize the objectivity and integrity of the institute.
Many argue that EA – defined by the Centre for Effective Altruism as "an intellectual project that uses evidence and reason to determine how to help others as much as possible" – has become like a group of influential and very wealthy disciples (publicized by FTX founder and billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried) concerned with long-term concerns revolving around preventing a future AI catastrophe that could jeopardize humanity. EA critics focus on this existential risk, or "x-risk," arguing that it distracts essential attention from current measurable AI risks – including bias, misinformation, high-risk applications, and traditional cybersecurity.
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Important: Ensure NIST's Mission is Not Affected
Divyansh Kaushik, Associate Director of Emerging Technology and National Security at the Federation of American Scientists, told VentureBeat that regardless of who is appointed to the AISI role, "it is important to ensure that NIST's mission is not affected by it."
NIST has always done "very research-based measurement methodology," he said. "We are in unknown territory trying to set up an imaginary risk assessment program from modelistic hypothetical risks for general purposes. I completely understand the concerns that NIST scientists might have, and it is on commerce leadership to ensure that all appointments remain true to the science and faithful to NIST's mission and methodology."
If certain appointments cause "star scientists" at NIST to leave, he added, "that would be unfortunate – in that case, I certainly hope the leadership will reassess what they will lose by appointing one person and reconsider their choice."
Congressional committees, he noted, are already paying much attention to the work of AISI. "I hope they can work well with good people who are the best measurement scientists and can do this work based on the strengths of NIST rather than trying to reinvent NIST's mission and what it does," he said.
VentureBeat reached out to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, AISI Director Elizabeth Kiley, and Paul Christiano. We will update if and when we hear back.
