The director of the Commerce Department's main artificial intelligence safety office has stepped down after just three months on the job, according to a spokesperson for the agency.
Dr. Chris Fall, who was tapped to lead the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) in April, resigned this week. His departure comes as the Trump administration's approach to AI regulation continues to fluctuate, with growing White House concern over cybersecurity threats posed by new AI model releases.
CAISI staff are directly involved in testing AI systems for vulnerabilities, including risks related to cybersecurity, biosecurity, and chemical weapons. The center was originally known as the U.S. AI Safety Institute but was rebranded under the current administration.
Fall is a veteran of the first Trump term, having served as director of the Department of Energy's Office of Science. He also held positions at the Office of Naval Research and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
A Commerce Department spokesperson confirmed that Dr. Arvind Raman, director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will serve as CAISI's acting director in the interim. The agency is expected to name a permanent replacement in the coming weeks, according to Axios, which first reported Fall's resignation.
Fall's exit follows the earlier departure of another AI researcher, Collin Burns, who was pushed out just four days after he started. Burns previously worked at Anthropic, an AI firm that clashed with the Trump administration over safety guardrails for military use of AI.
CAISI is one of the government's primary hubs for evaluating AI models, but other agencies are increasingly taking on AI vetting roles. The Departments of Defense, Treasury, and Homeland Security, along with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, are now more involved in the process.
The White House recently announced a new initiative called "Gold Eagle," which brings together these agencies to detect and patch cybersecurity vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure. The move reflects a broader push to coordinate AI safety efforts across the federal government.
Fall's short tenure highlights ongoing instability in the administration's AI policy, as officials struggle to balance innovation with security concerns.
