On December 16, 2025, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a preliminary draft of its Cyber AI Profile (NIST IR 8596), a framework designed to help organizations manage risks associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This profile is aligned with NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 and addresses the evolving cybersecurity risks and opportunities presented by AI technologies.
The draft is open for public comment until January 30, 2026, allowing stakeholders to provide input before NIST finalizes the document. As AI increasingly becomes integral to daily operations and risk management in U.S. businesses, understanding how to securely integrate these technologies is critical. AI is now embedded in various products and vendor ecosystems, impacting legal, technical, procurement, and governance functions.
The integration of AI also creates unique challenges for cybersecurity. Both attackers and defenders are leveraging AI in different ways. Malicious actors use AI to enhance phishing attacks and create convincing deepfakes, while cybersecurity defenders employ AI for improved threat detection and response. Despite the pressing need for comprehensive strategies to manage these risks, many organizations lack the resources to adequately address them, prompting NIST to develop this guidance after extensive engagement with cybersecurity leaders.
Framework Overview and Focus Areas
The Cyber AI Profile builds on two foundational frameworks: CSF 2.0 and the AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF). By applying the structure of CSF 2.0 to AI-specific risks, it enables organizations to secure their AI systems and enhance their cyber defenses. The draft does not attempt to define “AI” but rather describes “AI systems” as any systems that utilize AI capabilities, including standalone systems and applications.
This preliminary draft outlines three key focus areas to guide organizations:
1. **Securing AI System Components (Secure)**: This area addresses the cybersecurity challenges that arise when integrating AI into existing systems and infrastructures.
2. **Conducting AI-Enabled Cyber Defense (Defend)**: This focus emphasizes using AI to bolster cybersecurity while recognizing the need for human oversight to ensure compliance with regulatory and legal standards.
3. **Thwarting AI-Enabled Cyber Attacks (Thwart)**: This section discusses strategies for building resilience against emerging cyber threats that utilize AI technologies.
The core of the draft includes tables aligned with the six CSF functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. Each table highlights AI-specific considerations and proposes a priority level for each subcategory, guiding organizations in their planning and implementation efforts.
Strategic and Operational Guidance
NIST emphasizes that the Cyber AI Profile is part of a broader initiative to help organizations adapt their risk management approaches to the realities of AI. Central to this guidance is the importance of leadership accountability and cross-functional collaboration among teams in legal, privacy, procurement, and security domains.
Operationally, the draft encourages organizations to take immediate actions, including updating asset inventories, revisiting risk assessments to account for AI-specific threats, and setting more frequent review timelines for policies. The document stresses the need for “human-in-the-loop” controls for AI-assisted tools, ensuring that operational decisions remain transparent and accountable.
In conjunction with the Cyber AI Profile, NIST is also developing SP 800-53 “Control Overlays for Securing AI Systems” (COSAiS). This complementary guidance will provide organizations with implementation-level strategies to prioritize and operationalize AI-related controls effectively.
While the Cyber AI Profile and COSAiS are set for further revisions and public comment, businesses are encouraged to adopt a proactive stance. Organizations should consider conducting gap assessments and updating their AI policies and incident response plans to align with the guidance provided in the preliminary draft.
As the landscape of cybersecurity continues to evolve with AI technologies, these frameworks aim to empower organizations to navigate the complexities of modern threats while maintaining robust security practices.
