AIQI Member Spotlight - NPL

About NPL

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UK’s National Metrology Institute, providing the measurement capability that underpins the UK's prosperity and quality of life.

From new antibiotics to tackle resistance and more effective cancer treatments, to secure quantum communications and superfast 5G, technological advances must be built on a foundation of reliable measurement to succeed. Building on over a century’s worth of expertise, our science, engineering and technology provides this foundation. We save lives, protect the environment and enable citizens to feel safe and secure, as well as support international trade and commercial innovation. As a national laboratory, our advice is always impartial and independent, meaning consumers, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs can always rely on the work we do.

NPL’s Role in AI Assurance

A founding partner of the AI Standards Hub, NPL is known for its work to create the pre-normative technical measurement standards that are the essential technological foundations for everything from blue skies research to entrepreneurial activity. NPL is working on standards for trustworthy AI, helping organisations to develop and adopt AI safely and securely. We play a fundamental role in the UK’s National AI Strategy, building on the UK’s strengths in AI and recognising its power to increase resilience, productivity, growth and innovation across the private and public sectors.

NPL develops the science based, pre-normative technical measurement standards critical before, during and after any AI evaluation, validation, verification and testing – providing confidence in AI Assurance and ensuring the responsible development, deployment, adoption and use of AI.

For an assurance regime to effectively enable the measurement, evaluation and communication of the trustworthiness of AI systems, stakeholders across the ecosystem require a common understanding and be able to interoperate. However, assurance for AI is an emerging industry as are the global standards and norms for AI.  The way AI assurance is understood across different sectors within the UK and different jurisdictions internationally notably differs.

NPL, in partnership with the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the US National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and the OECD are developing an international AI terminology tool that defines key words and concepts, how they are used in and how each jurisdiction interprets key terms. The Tool enables the navigation of key concepts and terms across different AI governance frameworks, permitting effective communication with both consumers and trading partners across borders.

Assurance is critical to building and maintaining trust in AI technologies. So, the establishment of the AIQI is perfectly timed, bringing together the key actors from across the (international) AI assurance landscape from the get-go.  By working together not only do we ensure we are all aligned and working towards a common set of outcomes, we also collectively assist organisations with upskilling and accessing assurance mechanisms and global technical standards essential to trustworthy and responsible AI systems.