Outline: Proposed Zero Draft for a Standard on AI Testing, Evaluation, Verification, and Validation

Abstract

Background and Purpose

In March 2025, NIST announced its AI Standards Zero Drafts project. In this pilot project, NIST is collecting input on topics with a science-backed body of work and using it to develop “zero drafts”—preliminary, stakeholder-driven drafts of standards that are as thorough as possible. These drafts will then be submitted into the private sector-led standardization process as proposals for voluntary consensus standards. The project aims to broaden participation in and accelerate the creation of standards, helping standards meet the AI community’s needs and unleash AI innovation.

Based on community input, NIST selected two topics for the Zero Drafts pilot, one of which is AI testing, evaluation, verification and validation (TEVV). This detailed outline proposes a direction and structure for the forthcoming zero draft on TEVV. Based on this paper and input received in response, NIST will propose concrete text for a zero draft, which the community will also be invited to provide input on.

The resulting draft will be submitted to INCITS/AI, the private sector-led committee that represents the United States to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42. SC 42 is the subcommittee that focuses on cross-sectoral AI standards development within ISO and IEC (two prominent international standards developing organizations that collaborate closely through joint committees). Assuming that INCITS/AI proposes the draft as a new project for SC 42 and that SC 42 takes up the proposal, the future of the document will be up to the usual consensus processes of standards development. NIST does not expect to maintain the document further, and will have no greater influence over the resulting standard than a typical contributor to an ISO/IEC national body.