Institute for Defense Analyses expected to support National AI Advisory Committee

The National Institute of Standards and Technology intends to have the Institute for Defense Analyses provide technical analysis to the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, citing its unique experience handling confidential data without conflicts of interest.

IDA would identify concerns surrounding U.S. AI competitiveness, the National AI Initiative, AI science, the National AI Research and Development Strategic Plan, and international standards development, should NIST determine no company is capable.

The National AI Initiative Act of 2020 tasked NIST with providing administrative support to NAIAC, and the agency is turning to IDA, a nonprofit that administers three federally funded R&D centers (FFRDCs), to conduct that work.

“IDA has the unique combined skills, knowledge and experience to effectively and efficiently provide the services needed to support NAIAC’s mission,” reads NIST’s sole source notice issued Thursday. “The FFRDC can provide a bridge to combine research and academic data with professional knowledge, experience, practice and understanding of policy in a way that others across the private industry would be unable to satisfy in the timeline stipulated by Congress.”

NAIAC had a year from the act’s passage to provide its first report with recommendations to the president and Congress, but it wasn’t established until September 2021 or filled until April.

IDA would conduct research at the request of NAIAC and its working groups, prepare fact sheets and memos ahead meetings, outline discussions, and draft and finalize the report after seeking public comment between Sept. 15 and Sept. 14, 2023.

The nonprofit would operate under the Science and Technology Policy Institute FFRDC contract, an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity vehicle.

Companies have until Aug. 4 to respond to NIST’s notice with why it should instead conduct a competitive procurement.