[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 19 (Friday, January 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4571-4572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01721]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


CPSC Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Test and 
Evaluation Forum

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Announcement of forum.

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SUMMARY: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is hosting a 
test and evaluation (TE) forum on consumer products employing 
artificial intelligence-related (AI) technologies, such as Machine 
Learning (ML). This forum will identify current TE of AI and ML 
capabilities. CPSC staff invites interested parties to attend or 
participate in this forum via webinar.

DATES: The forum will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern 
Standard Time (EST) on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Individuals interested 
in serving on panels or presenting information at the forum should 
register by February 25, 2022, submit abstracts for consideration by 
February 28, 2022, and if selected, provide final presentation slides 
by March 14, 2022. All other individuals who wish to attend the forum 
should register by March 21, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The forum will be held via webinar. Attendance is free of 
charge. Persons interested in attending the forum should register 
online at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1626522265242906123. After registering, you will receive a confirmation 
email containing information about joining the webinar.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nevin Taylor, Chief Technologist, 4330 
East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone: 301-509-0264; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CPSC is hosting a technical forum to collect 
information on the TE, certification, and product specification efforts 
associated with products employing AI/ML-related technologies.\1\ The 
information collected from the forum will assist staff in making 
recommendations for improving TE capabilities associated with the 
safety of consumer products.
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    \1\ The Commission voted 4-0 to approve this notice.
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I. Background

    With the growing use of AI/ML-related technologies to increase 
capabilities and mitigate potential harms, assessing the functionality 
and reliability of these technologies is important to ensure they do 
not present unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer 
products. Methods for testing and evaluating AI/ML-related technologies 
are important in determining whether these capabilities contribute to 
creating an unreasonable risk of injury to consumers.
    As AI/ML-related technologies dramatically change the nature of 
consumer products, their abilities to act and react automatically, and, 
in some cases, to learn and evolve, have brought to the forefront 
significant concerns for potential impacts to product safety. The 
inherent learning abilities of some ML presents unique product testing 
challenges. CPSC seeks to understand existing and future testing 
capabilities for evaluating AI/ML-related components, such as sensors, 
data, software, networks, and related hardware, as well as their 
integration for AI/ML-enabled products. CPSC seeks information on 
foreseeable interactions between these components and features with 
users and the environment in addition to information on testing how 
these features and components contribute to machine learning-based 
evolution of products.

II. Forum Topics

    Manufacturers and test laboratories may already employ in-product 
development testing and evaluation capabilities to ensure safety is 
built into products with AI/ML-related technologies. There may also be 
test capabilities used to evaluate changes to products after purchase, 
to monitor and measure the potential impact on consumers, given the 
evolution of AI/ML-related technologies within products. These 
evaluations may or may not use existing standards, which are evolving, 
but they are needed to determine whether AI/ML-related technologies are 
to contribute to consumer product hazards throughout their lifecycle 
and to inform standard development. This forum will focus on existing 
testing and evaluation capabilities and the need to establish an 
adequate methodology to determine if AI/ML-related technologies 
contribute to an unreasonable risk that could injure consumers. It will 
explore existing and future testing and evaluation capabilities related 
to the following four topics:
     Components: Identify and test components of AI in 
isolation, including sensors/data, algorithms, connectivity (including 
communications and actuation), and computational capabilities.
     Products: Evaluate AI-enabled consumer products as a 
system, by monitoring, measuring, and modeling their characteristics.
     Assessment: Leverage current risk-assessment methodologies 
to identify the potential for AI and ML to contribute to an 
unreasonable risk of harm in consumer products.
     SYNOPSIS and Q&A: Round-table discussion with subject 
matter experts interacting with the participants regarding the 
previously presented panels.

III. Forum Details

A. Forum Time and Place

    CPSC staff will hold the forum via webinar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 
EST on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

B. Forum Registration

    If you would like to attend the forum, but you do not wish to make 
a presentation or participate on a panel, please register online by 
March 21, 2022. (See the ADDRESSES portion of this document for the 
website link and instructions to register.)
    If you would like to present at the TE Forum, or you wish to be 
considered as a panel member for a specific topic or topics, please 
register by February 25, 2022, and email an electronic version of your 
abstract to Nevin Taylor, [email protected], by February 28, 2022. (See 
the ADDRESSES portion of this document for the website link and 
instructions to register.) Abstracts should be relevant to the forum 
topic and no longer than two pages. Staff will select panelists and 
individuals to make presentations at the forum, based on considerations 
such as:

 Submitted abstract information
 Individual's demonstrated familiarity or expertise with the 
topic to be discussed
 Practical application of the information to be presented

[[Page 4572]]

 Individual's viewpoint or ability to represent certain 
interests (such as large manufacturers, small manufacturers, consumer 
advocates, and consumers)

    Staff would like the presentations to represent and address a wide 
variety of stakeholders and interests. Staff will notify those who are 
selected to make a presentation or participate in a panel by March 2, 
2022, so that you can prepare and provide your final presentation by 
March 14, 2022.
    Although staff will try to accommodate all persons who wish to make 
a presentation, the time allotted for presentations will depend on the 
agenda and the number of persons who wish to speak on a given topic. 
Staff recommends that individuals and organizations with common 
interests consolidate or coordinate their presentations, and request 
time for a joint presentation. If you have any questions regarding 
participating in the forum, please contact Nevin Taylor, by email at: 
[email protected], or telephone at: 301-509-0264.
    Detailed instructions for the webinar participants and other 
interested parties will be made available on the CPSC's Public 
Calendar: https://cpsc.gov/newsroom/public-calendar.

Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2022-01721 Filed 1-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P