Sophia Antipolis, 17 October 2023
As the second term of the Industry Specification Group Securing AI (ISG SAI) is scheduled to conclude in Q4 2023, and in line with ETSI's commitment to AI and SAI, the group has suggested the closure of ISG SAI, with its activity transferred to a new ETSI Technical Committee, TC SAI.
According to the ETSI Directives, Industry Specification Groups cannot address activities covered by a Standardization Request raised by the European Commission. As a Technical Committee, TC SAI will have the capability to directly contribute to standardization requests, which may include, but not limited to, the future AI Act, Cybersecurity Resilience Act and NIS2.
The primary goal of the Technical Committee for Securing Artificial Intelligence (TC SAI) is to develop technical specifications that mitigate threats arising from the deployment of AI. These threats may originate from other AI systems or conventional sources. In the short to medium term, the Committee will focus on the application of Machine Learning (ML). However, the group will also provide guidance and evaluation reports to ETSI and its stakeholders on broader AI developments.
A fundamental element for the successful development of guidance and specifications by the Committee is achieving a common understanding of the duality of attack and defense. The committee's members will create ETSI standards that will serve as a baseline to ensure that AI is secure, safe, societally relevant, and suitable. To ensure that ETSI and TC SAI effectively address these concerns, the group will take into account the perspectives of each stakeholder group, including end users, manufacturers, operators, and governments.
In its work on societal aspects, the group will focus on protecting at-risk populations, such as those who may be targeted by AI-generated content.
The inaugural meeting of the Technical Committee for Securing AI is scheduled for 4 December 2023.