The university announced in a February news release that it will participate in the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium. The initiative, which is run by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology, has more than 200 members, including Princeton University and JPMorgan Chase.
Rice's Ken Kennedy Institute is leading the university's efforts.
Lydia Kavraki, director of the Ken Kennedy Institute, said the university is concerned about the safety and transparency of AI.
"The need to pull together efforts from academia and industry is urgent, and we congratulate NIST on their initiative," Kavraki said in a statement.
The consortium will help develop safety protocols and "harness the immense potential of artificial intelligence," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement.
"Together we can confront these challenges to develop the measurements and standards we need to maintain America's competitive edge and develop AI responsibly," Raimondo said.
The consortium will help fulfill goals spelled out by President Joe Biden. On top of safety and security, the groups will participate in efforts to identify and watermark AI-generated material and will aid in capability evaluations.
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