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NIST: Artifical Intelligence
​The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a major initiative aimed at addressing the rapidly evolving cybersecurity challenges associated with artificial intelligence (AI). Central to this effort is the release of a new concept paper and proposed action plan for developing NIST SP 800-53 Control Overlays specifically tailored for AI security.
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This marks one of the first comprehensive attempts to extend NIST’s widely adopted cybersecurity framework into the domain of AI, where traditional security measures often fail to capture the unique risks posed by advanced machine learning models.
Addressing Critical Gaps in AI SecurityThe concept paper is NIST’s direct response to what many experts consider a critical and time-sensitive gap in current cybersecurity standards. As AI technologies are increasingly embedded in critical infrastructure, cloud services, and enterprise business operations, the risks of system compromise, data leakage, and adversarial manipulation grow significantly.
The proposed overlays build upon NIST SP 800-53, which for years has served as a foundational framework for federal information system security. By adapting this proven structure, the overlays will extend traditional security controls to address AI-specific attack vectors—ranging from prompt injection and model poisoning to adversarial examples and data exfiltration through AI interfaces.
These overlays are designed to cover a broad range of AI deployment scenarios, including:
Generative AI systems that produce text, code, images, or other synthetic content
Predictive models that play a role in decision-making processes across sectors such as healthcare, finance, and transportation
Single-agent AI deployments as well as multi-agent structures where multiple AI models interact, raising complex security concerns
Embedding Security Throughout the AI LifecycleNIST’s initiative emphasizes that security cannot be treated as an afterthought but must be integrated into AI development from the earliest stages. The overlays will include controls specific to AI developers and researchers, encouraging practices such as:
• securing training data pipelines,
• validating model integrity,
• implementing safeguards against dataset contamination, and
• establishing accountability mechanisms across the AI supply chain.
This lifecycle-focused approach aligns with broader principles of security by design, aiming to ensure that every stage of AI system development and deployment embeds resilience against known and emerging threats.
Fostering Collaboration Through Community EngagementTo maximize impact and ensure community-driven refinement, NIST has created a dedicated Slack workspace: “NIST Overlays for Securing AI (NIST-Overlays-Securing-AI).”
The platform is structured to bring together cybersecurity professionals, AI developers, system administrators, and risk managers, enabling them to:
• participate in real-time discussions with NIST principal investigators,
• share case studies and implementation experiences,
• provide feedback on draft controls, and
• track updates on the evolving framework.
This open, collaborative model reflects NIST’s recognition that no single discipline or organization has all the expertise needed to address AI cybersecurity challenges in isolation. Instead, building consensus across the ecosystem is crucial for creating practical, widely adoptable standards.
A Timely Response to Emerging ThreatsThe timing of this initiative is significant. As AI adoption accelerates, so does awareness of its vulnerabilities. Attacks such as data poisoning, adversarial manipulation, and malicious use of generative AI underscore the limitations of conventional cybersecurity playbooks. Many existing security frameworks were designed for traditional IT systems and therefore overlook the unique dynamics of AI-driven environments.
The forthcoming overlays will serve as a bridge, complementing established NIST standards such as the AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) by delivering actionable, implementation-ready security controls tailored specifically for AI.
Looking AheadThis effort has the potential to shape not only federal cybersecurity guidance but also private-sector best practices around the globe. By establishing standardized approaches to AI security, NIST’s initiative may significantly influence how organizations evaluate risks, implement safeguards, and build trust in AI-enabled systems.
With input from a diverse range of stakeholders, the final overlays could set a precedent for how governments, businesses, and research organizations worldwide confront the growing security challenges of artificial intelligence.