NIST AI Risk Management Framework

What Is the NIST AI Risk Management Framework?

The NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) is a voluntary framework developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help organizations identify, assess, and manage risks associated with artificial intelligence systems across their entire lifecycle.

The framework is designed to support trustworthy and responsible AI by addressing risks related to security, privacy, safety, transparency, fairness, and reliability, while remaining flexible enough to apply across industries, AI use cases, and deployment models.

NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF)

The NIST AI RMF provides a structured, outcomes-based approach to managing AI risk without prescribing specific technologies or controls. It helps organizations operationalize AI governance while continuing to innovate.

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The framework is organized around four core functions:

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• Govern: Establish organizational policies, roles, accountability, and oversight for AI risk management
  
  
• Map: Identify AI systems, their intended use, data sources, and potential risks within a given context
  
  
• Measure: Analyze, assess, and monitor AI risks using qualitative and quantitative methods
  
  
• Manage: Prioritize risks, apply mitigations, and continuously improve AI risk controls over time
  
  

These functions are intended to be applied iteratively throughout the AI system lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and ongoing operation.

Why the NIST AI RMF Matters for Data Security

The NIST AI RMF places strong emphasis on data governance and data protection, recognizing that AI systems often increase exposure to sensitive, regulated, or proprietary data.

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Key data-related considerations include:

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• Controlling access to data used for AI training, inference, and fine-tuning
  
  
• Understanding how AI systems create new data access pathways and risk scenarios
  
  
• Reducing over-permissioned access and unintended data exposure
  
  
• Supporting compliance with privacy and security regulations
  
  

As organizations adopt AI at scale, aligning with the NIST AI RMF helps security teams manage AI-driven data risk, improve visibility into sensitive data usage, and support responsible AI adoption.

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