Working group NIKOLAI · AI safety
NIKOLAI: Transparency, governance and declarations
The NIKOLAI transparency, governance and declarations working group reviews the proposed vocabulary for external review and redaction, evaluator independence and access, commitments, accountable sign-off and framework updates — and NIKOLAI's own Mapping Declaration process, by which an organisation can confirm or dispute how CASRAI has mapped its published documents. It reviews the elements in NIKOLAI tracks N8–N10, tests CASRAI's shadow crosswalks against the documents they cite, and advises on how declarations are filed, reviewed and disputed.
Charter and scope
What this working group covers
The NIKOLAI transparency, governance and declarations working group reviews the proposed vocabulary for external review and redaction, evaluator independence and access, commitments, accountable sign-off and framework updates — and NIKOLAI's own Mapping Declaration process, by which an organisation can confirm or dispute how CASRAI has mapped its published documents. It reviews the elements in NIKOLAI tracks N8–N10, tests CASRAI's shadow crosswalks against the documents they cite, and advises on how declarations are filed, reviewed and disputed.
- N8 Transparency and review: redaction, redaction reason, external review, evaluator access attestation, publication rights clause, AI-model review, evaluator independence and conflict of interest
- N9 Commitments and governance: commitment, framework update protocol, roadmap item, industry-wide recommendation, pre-release sharing window, mapping declaration, accountable decision-maker and sign-off, noncompliance and whistleblower reporting
- N10 Assurance roles: declaring representative, CASRAI declaration reviewer, corroborating evaluator, declaration disputant, declaration accuracy steward, declaration role
- The Mapping Declaration process: who may file, review, corroborate or dispute a declaration
- Accuracy of CASRAI's shadow crosswalk rows for N8–N9 elements against the documents they cite
Because members may work for competing AI developers, CASRAI's antitrust guidelines (POL-02) and conflict-of-interest disclosure apply to every meeting and deliverable, and the group discusses published documents and vocabulary only — never pricing, products, release plans or other competitively sensitive information.
NIKOLAI is a CASRAI proposal (nikolai-v0.2). Every crosswalk row is CASRAI's own shadow mapping unless the organisation concerned files a Mapping Declaration, and no AI developer, evaluator or regulator has endorsed or joined NIKOLAI or this working group.
Composition
Current composition
Chair
Applications under review
Candidates are being assessed for the 2026 forming round. Two-year term, renewable once.
Submit your candidacy →Co-chair
Accepting candidates
Optional second chair, prioritised for regional or sector balance.
Submit your candidacy →Community seats
Accepting candidates for 12 seats
Seats are allocated against a published rubric covering domain expertise, institutional diversity, regional balance, and an explicit slot for early-career researchers.
Apply for a community seat →Deliverables
Planned and delivered deliverables
- Planned: a reviewed set of N8–N10 element definitions, with corrections recorded in the NIKOLAI changelog
- Planned: recommendations on the N10 roles that have no code path yet (corroborating evaluator, declaration accuracy steward)
- Planned: a check of every N8–N9 shadow crosswalk row against the document it cites
- Planned: recommendations for the next NIKOLAI minor release
Recent activity
Working-group cadence and milestones
Illustrative working-group cadence for the 2026 forming round. Substantive deliverables and meeting minutes will be linked here as the group convenes.
2026-10 · Milestone
Working group forming — applications open
Open call for chair, co-chair and community seats on the NIKOLAI: Transparency, governance and declarations working group. Applications are under review.
2026-09-19 · Release
NIKOLAI nikolai-v0.2 published
Track N10 (assurance roles) and the Mapping Declaration process added. See the NIKOLAI changelog.
2026-09-18 · Added
NIKOLAI proposal published
CASRAI published nikolai-v0.1, its proposed frontier-AI-safety vocabulary, with CASRAI's own shadow crosswalks.
Open consultations
Currently in public comment
Currently none open. Comments on any NIKOLAI element are welcome at any time via /get-involved/comment.
External bodies
Published documents the group reads
Bodies whose published documents this group reads and cites. Listing is not a partnership: none of them has endorsed, joined or reviewed NIKOLAI or this working group.
Going deeper on CASRAI
Related CASRAI guidance
Adjacent working groups
Related working groups
How to join
Apply to a seat on this working group
This working group is receiving candidates for the 2026 forming round. The application is short — name, institution, ORCID iD (optional), the seat you are applying for, and a paragraph on why this group. Decisions are returned within four weeks of the close of the open-call window.
FAQ
Frequently asked
- What does this working group do?
The NIKOLAI: Transparency, governance and declarations working group reviews the proposed NIKOLAI elements in tracks N8, N9, N10: it checks their definitions and CASRAI's shadow crosswalk rows against the published documents they cite, and proposes corrections, gaps and new elements for the next NIKOLAI release. NIKOLAI is a CASRAI proposal (nikolai-v0.2); no AI developer, evaluator or regulator has endorsed or joined it.
- Who can apply to join?
Membership is open to qualified practitioners in a personal capacity — AI safety and evaluation researchers, policy and standards staff, and people working at AI developers, evaluators, regulators, universities or civil-society organisations. Members may work for competing AI developers, so CASRAI's antitrust guidelines (POL-02) and conflict-of-interest disclosure apply. Apply via the working-group application form.
- What is the time commitment?
Cadence: Monthly virtual sessions while forming; vocabulary work released through NIKOLAI minor releases under the published versioning policy.. Time commitment averages four hours per quarter for an active member, more for a chair. Asynchronous review happens between meetings via email. Chairs are recognised on the editorial masthead and serve a two-year term, renewable once.
- How are seats allocated?
Each working group has 12 community seats plus a chair and (optionally) a co-chair. Seats are filled by an open call reviewed against a published rubric: domain expertise, institutional diversity, regional balance, and an explicit slot for early-career researchers. Applications for the 2026 forming round are open and candidates are currently under review — see how to apply.
- Can my institution sponsor a seat?
Institutional sponsorship is welcome but is not a route to a guaranteed seat. Sponsors support meeting infrastructure, public-comment publication and contributor honoraria; they receive named acknowledgement on the working-group page and in release notes. Sponsorship enquiries go to [email protected]. Seat selection remains on merit.
