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What is the NIST AI RMF?

By Ben Tabas, Intrica Research · Updated · US

Answer

The NIST AI RMF is a voluntary framework from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology for managing the risks of AI systems. NIST released version 1.0 on Jan. 26, 2023, and built its core on four functions: Govern, Map, Measure and Manage. NIST's AI RMF page, checked Oct. 28, 2026, says version 1.0 is being revised.

The four functions

  • Govern: the cross cutting function that sets the policies, roles and culture for AI risk management and runs through the other three, per NIST AI 100-1, January 2023.
  • Map: establishes the context to frame the risks of a specific AI system, per the same document.
  • Measure: uses quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods to analyze, assess, benchmark and monitor AI risk, per the same document.
  • Manage: puts resources on the risks that were mapped and measured, with plans to respond to, recover from and communicate about incidents, per the same document.

What trustworthy AI means in the framework

NIST AI 100-1, published January 2023, lists seven characteristics of trustworthy AI: valid and reliable, safe, secure and resilient, accountable and transparent, explainable and interpretable, privacy enhanced, and fair with harmful bias managed.

The same document describes the framework as voluntary, rights preserving, non sector specific and use case agnostic, so any company that designs, builds, deploys or uses AI can apply it.

Profiles and updates

NIST released a Generative AI Profile, NIST AI 600-1, on July 26, 2024, per NIST's AI RMF page checked Oct. 28, 2026.

The same page says NIST released a concept note on April 7, 2026 for a profile on trustworthy AI in critical infrastructure, and that AI RMF 1.0 is being revised as part of the White House AI Action Plan.

How a startup can start

  1. Govern: name an owner for AI risk and write a short AI policy.
  2. Map: list each AI feature, who it affects and what could go wrong.
  3. Measure: pick tests for accuracy, bias and security, and run them before and after launch.
  4. Manage: rank the risks, fix the top ones and keep an incident plan ready.

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Sources

  1. Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0), NIST AI 100-1 · NIST, Jan. 26, 2023Supports: The four functions, the seven trustworthy AI characteristics and the voluntary, use case agnostic design.
  2. AI Risk Management Framework · NIST, Oct. 28, 2026Supports: Checked Oct. 28, 2026 for the release date, the Generative AI Profile, the critical infrastructure concept note and the revision under the AI Action Plan.
  3. ISO/IEC 42001:2023 · IEC Webstore, Dec. 18, 2023Supports: The certifiable AI management system standard often paired with the AI RMF.

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