The deadline is today.
NIST’s April 17 workshop on the draft Critical Infrastructure AI Profile closes registration April 16, that’s now. The workshop is the primary public engagement opportunity on a framework extension that takes the NIST AI Risk Management Framework into territory the original RMF didn’t fully address: operational technology environments where AI failures don’t just cause data loss, they cause physical consequences.
The original AI RMF 1.0 was published in January 2023 as voluntary guidance. It’s since become the de facto reference document for federal AI governance, cited in the AI Executive Order’s implementation guidance and adopted as a compliance baseline by multiple federal agencies. The Critical Infrastructure Profile is the first major sector-specific extension of that framework.
The draft concept note calls for TEVV, Testing, Evaluation, Validation, and Verification, as core requirements for AI deployed in critical infrastructure contexts. TEVV is established NIST AI RMF language; its application to OT/ICS environments is the new development. The 16 critical infrastructure sectors designated by CISA, including energy, water, transportation, and chemical facilities, would all fall within scope. Commentary on the draft indicates the profile also addresses agent identity management in multi-agent systems and supply chain accountability requirements, two concerns that are increasingly central to AI security discussions in industrial and energy contexts.
This is a draft, not a finalized standard. Language such as “calls for” and “proposes” reflects the guidance’s current status. But NIST profiles tend to become the de facto compliance baseline for federal contractors and regulated industries before formal adoption, so the time to engage is during the comment and workshop phase, not after.
For teams managing AI in critical infrastructure: registration is via NIST.gov. If today’s deadline has passed, the draft concept note will remain available for written comment through NIST’s standard process, and the workshop proceedings are typically published within 30 days.