Compare
NIST AI RMF vs SSDF SP 800-218: how they differ, side by side
How NIST AI RMF and SSDF SP 800-218 differ: what each is, who owes it, when it applies and who enforces it.
01 / Side by side
NIST AI RMF and SSDF SP 800-218, side by side
| NIST AI RMF | SSDF SP 800-218 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | voluntary framework | federal standard |
| Jurisdiction | United States (federal) | United States (federal) |
| Legal force | Voluntary framework | Voluntary framework; no government-wide attestation since Jan 2026 |
| Status | Published standard | Published standard |
| Applies from | 26 Jan 2023 | 3 Feb 2022 |
| Who owes it | Any organization that designs, develops, deploys, evaluates or uses AI systems and chooses to adopt it; no one is required to by the framework itself. | Software producers of all kinds, and in particular vendors whose software is used by US federal agencies. |
| Enforcement | None; voluntary. Contracts, agency policies or other laws may reference it. | None directly; voluntary. Agencies may require SSDF practices or an attestation by contract, and false contract representations can create False Claims Act exposure. |
02 / NIST AI RMF
What NIST AI RMF requires
AI-specific. It addresses risks such as validity, reliability, safety, security, accountability, explainability, privacy and harmful bias in AI systems across their lifecycle.
- 01GOVERN: set policies, accountability, culture and third-party controls for AI risk across the organization.
- 02MAP: establish each AI system's context, purpose, categorization, benefits, costs and impacts.
- 03MEASURE: select metrics and test, evaluate, verify and validate AI systems for trustworthiness characteristics; track risks over time.
- 04MANAGE: prioritize and treat AI risks, manage third-party risk, and monitor deployed systems with response and recovery plans.
- 05Optionally build use-case or sector profiles that select and tailor the subcategories that matter.
03 / SSDF SP 800-218
What SSDF SP 800-218 requires
SP 800-218A (July 2024) is an SSDF community profile for generative AI and dual-use foundation models; it adds tasks such as protecting training data and model weights and tracking model provenance.
- 01Define security requirements, roles, training and toolchains for software development (PO).
- 02Protect code, releases and provenance data from tampering and unauthorized access (PS).
- 03Design securely, review and test code, and configure software secure by default (PW).
- 04Identify, analyze and fix vulnerabilities and their root causes after release (RV).
- 05Apply practices on a risk basis and document how each is met.
Optional evidence · where Planisphere fits
Keep a record anyone can check
When your team meets a duty, Planisphere can seal the event it reports as a receipt.
A disclosure shown, a review signed, a model change approved: the event your system reports.
The event becomes a sealed receipt, dated and attributed to whoever is signed in.
Paste the receipt into Verify. No account or key.
A record supports your compliance evidence process. It is not a legal finding or a certification. Systems that call Planisphere's gate API can also hold or refuse an action before it runs.
SOURCES
Go back to the source
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
NIST Trustworthy and Responsible AI Resource Center
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