NIST AI RMF Explained
The NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) is the de facto standard for voluntary AI governance in the US. Here is how to put it into practice.
The Core Functions
The framework is built around four interconnected functions. While "Govern" applies to all aspects, the other three (Map, Measure, Manage) form a lifecycle loop.
1. Govern
Culture & Policy: Establish a culture of risk management. Define policies, roles, and responsibilities. Ensure leadership is accountable for AI risks.
2. Map
Context & Inventory: Contextualize the AI system. What is the intended use? Who are the stakeholders? What are the potential impacts? Create an inventory of all AI models.
3. Measure
Metrics & Testing: Employ quantitative and qualitative tools to analyze risks. Test for bias, security vulnerabilities, and performance reliability.
4. Manage
Mitigation & Monitoring: Prioritize risks and implement controls. Continuously monitor deployed systems for drift or new threats.
Implementing NIST AI RMF with Railguard
Railguard acts as your operational layer for the NIST AI RMF, automating the "Measure" and "Manage" functions.
Automating "Measure"
Railguard's Policy Engine allows you to define quantitative metrics for your AI models.
- Fairness Metrics: Automatically detect disparate impact in model outputs.
- Toxicity Scoring: Measure the safety of generated content in real-time.
- Hallucination Rate: Track the factual consistency of your RAG applications.
Automating "Manage"
Our AI Firewall provides the active controls needed to mitigate identified risks.
- Block Attacks: Prevent prompt injection and jailbreaks (Security Management).
- Filter PII: Redact sensitive data before it leaves your boundary (Privacy Management).
- Human Review: Route low-confidence or high-risk interactions to human oversight.
The NIST Playbook
NIST has released a companion Playbook with detailed actions for each sub-category. We have mapped the Railguard platform capabilities directly to these playbook items.
Map Your Compliance
See how Railguard covers 80% of the NIST AI RMF technical controls out of the box.