Trilateral Principles Paper on the Deployment of Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Activities

In March 2022, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the United Kingdom’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (UK ONR), and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) established an informal trilateral relationship to advance the understanding of disruptive, innovative and emerging technologies (DIET) within the nuclear sector. Through our collaborative efforts, it became apparent that our shared interest in the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in regulated nuclear activities warranted a collective approach.

In response, we have jointly developed and published the Trilateral Principles Paper on the Deployment of Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Activities. This document outlines high-level principles for integrating AI technologies into nuclear operations. AI is defined as a spectrum of technologies capable of learning from data or experiences to perform tasks that traditionally require human intelligence.

The paper covers critical aspects of AI deployment, including:

• application of best practice safety and security engineering principles
• consideration of human and organizational factors
• AI system architecture
• lifecycle management of AI technologies
• documentation of AI safety and security measures

The paper also addresses the security challenges associated with AI systems, emphasizing that these challenges are comparable to, and in some cases more significant than, those related to conventional software. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of data quality, noting that the efficacy of an AI system is directly dependent on the quality of the data it processes.

The trilateral principles paper was released simultaneously on the websites of the CNSC, UK ONR and U.S. NRC on September 5, 2024.

For further details and to access the paper, visit: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/plans-performance/artificial-intelligence.html#strategic-plan

Please note that this paper is provided in accordance with the disclaimer contained on page ii.

We invite stakeholders and interested parties to review the paper and join us in advancing the safe and effective integration of AI technologies in the nuclear sector.