NIST AI RMF A free, voluntary framework for managing AI risk, in four functions.
Short answer. The NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) is a voluntary framework from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, released on 26 January 2023, for managing the risks of designing, developing, deploying and using AI systems. It is free, not specific to any sector, and meant for organisations of any size. Its core has four functions: Govern sets policies, roles and culture across the organisation; Map establishes the context and risks of each AI use; Measure tests and tracks those risks; Manage prioritises them and plans responses, including to incidents. NIST added a Generative AI Profile, NIST AI 600-1, on 26 July 2024. The framework describes trustworthy AI through seven characteristics, such as valid and reliable, safe, and fair with harmful bias managed.
01
The four functions
Function
What it covers
One office action
Govern
Policies, accountability, training, an inventory of AI systems, third-party risk
Name an owner, write an AI policy, keep a register (GOVERN 1.6)
Map
The context of each AI use: purpose, users, benefits and possible harms
For each tool, write down who it affects and what could go wrong
Measure
Testing before deployment and regularly in operation, with documented results
Test on your own documents in conditions like real use (MEASURE 2.3)
Manage
Allocating resources to risks, and plans to respond to, recover from and communicate about incidents
Decide what to fix, accept or stop, and how to retire a tool
02
Seven characteristics of trustworthy AI
Valid and reliable
Safe
Secure and resilient
Accountable and transparent
Explainable and interpretable
Privacy-enhanced
Fair, with harmful bias managed
03
Using it in an Indian office
The AI RMF is not Indian law and carries no certification. It is useful because it is free and detailed, and NIST publishes a companion Playbook of suggested actions and crosswalks to other documents, including ISO/IEC 42001. NIST says its actions are not a checklist or an ordered set of steps, and that users can apply the functions as their resources allow, so a small office can start with the Govern basics and use the Measure outcomes as a test plan before rollout.
Govern asks for inventories and accountability; Measure asks for evidence. ANVE logs every model call with the user, the app and the model on the device, which gives an office data for both. The framework’s outcomes remain the office’s to meet.
04
Questions people ask
Is the NIST AI RMF mandatory?
No. NIST describes it as intended for voluntary use, and it has no legal force in India.
Is there a NIST AI RMF certification?
No. The AI RMF is guidance with suggested outcomes, not a certification scheme. If you need a standard you can be audited against, look at ISO/IEC 42001.
What is the Generative AI Profile?
NIST AI 600-1, released on 26 July 2024, helps organisations identify risks specific to generative AI and proposes actions to manage them.
Do we have to apply all four functions at once?
No. NIST says its actions are not a checklist or an ordered set of steps, so an office can adopt them in stages, starting with Govern.
05
What is not real yet
No sealed ANVE unit exists; every image of the appliance on this site is a labelled render. The software runs today on a development machine. No customers yet, no certifications, no delivery date, and the final price is not announced.
Reservations are ₹999 in India or US$12 elsewhere, refundable in full until you confirm an order in writing (terms). Offices that cannot use cloud AI can apply to be one of ten design partners.
