A Checklist for the NIST AI Risk Management Framework

The NIST AI Risk Management Framework was created to offer a voluntary guide for organizations aiming to improve their management of AI-related risks. It helps simplify integrating trust into AI product design, development, deployment, and use.

The core principle of the AI RMF is that risk management must be an ongoing process throughout the entire AI lifecycle. This approach underscores the importance of consistently addressing and mitigating risks from the initial stages of development through deployment and beyond.

For a downloadable version of this checklist, click here.

Adopting the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) involves a series of steps to integrate its principles into your organization’s processes. Here’s a checklist to help you get started:

1.  Familiarize yourself with the framework & relevancy for your organization
   1. Action: Review the NIST AI RMF documentation thoroughly to understand its core principles, functions, and recommendations. Determine if your organization is designing, developing, deploying, or using AI systems. If yes, continue. 
   2. Outcome: A solid grasp of the framework’s objectives and if/how it aligns with your organization’s goals
   3. Resources to review:
      • Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework
      • NIST AI RMF Playbook
      • AI RMF Roadmap
      • AI RMF Explainer Video
2. Identify current AI usage 
   1. Action: Take inventory of all current uses of AI at your organization.
      • Identify all AI capabilities being deployed within your organization
      • Identify use cases being supported or executed by AI capabilities
      • Identify data leveraged for AI use cases  
   2. Outcome: Establish clear oversight of the scope of AI usage at your organization. 
3. Assess Current AI Practices
   1. Action: Conduct an audit of your existing AI policies and procedures to identify your current state and any gaps.
   2. Outcome: A clear picture of your current AI risk management landscape and specific areas that need alignment with the framework.
4. Establish a Cross-Functional Team
   1. Action: Form a team with representatives from various departments, such as IT, legal, compliance, risk management, and AI development.
   2. Outcome: A diverse group that can provide a comprehensive perspective on AI risk management and ensure all relevant aspects are covered.
5. Develop a Strategy for framework adoption
   1. Action: Create a strategy for the implementation of the NIST AI RMF. Define how decisions will be made and who will be accountable.
   2. Outcome: A structured plan for how your organization will address AI risks tailored to your specific needs. A defined timeline and goal for AI RMF adoption.
6. Begin working through the NIST AI RMF Playbook for specific guided actions your organization can take to implement the framework successfully. 
   1. Action: Work through the four core functions
      • Govern
      • Manage
      • Map
      • Measure
   2. Outcomes: Informed policy creation, thorough AI risk management practices, and in-depth risk identification and management strategies.

This checklist aims to help develop responsible, innovative use of AI intelligence. To do this, focus on one of the primary goals of the NIST AI risk management framework: harm reduction. This applies to reducing potential risk impacts on people, organizations, and ecosystems. This framework makes it easier to assign process ownership, develop clear workflows, and help audit, risk, and compliance leaders assess risk tolerance, prioritization, measurement, and integration/management.

Of course, it’s critical to remember that compliance is not a one-and-done endeavor. Instead, AI risk management is an iterative process. This checklist serves as a springboard to prompt the constant evolution of your organization’s processes.