Standardization News

ASTM International has revised its standard that helps to ensure the safety of connected consumer products (F3463). The standard is under the jurisdiction of ASTM’s consumer products committee (F15) and was revised to include guidance on the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

“Before placing a consumer product that uses AI on the market, a safety assessment should be conducted,” says ASTM member Travis Norton, head of content strategy and compliance innovation, Compliance & Risks. “This revised guide provides insights for product safety requirements, design considerations, and stakeholder responsibilities.”

Norton further notes, “There are unique considerations for AI that the previous version of this standard did not address. Our technical committee had been reviewing foreseeable hazards of using AI in consumer products and looking at how AI product safety differs from traditional approaches.”

According to Norton, the revision represents the committee’s effort to address unique issues raised by AI in the hope of providing industry additional guidance on how to assess the safety of AI for future consumer product application.

“AI-powered consumer products pose potential safety hazards due to factors such as malfunctioning systems, inadequate safety measures, user misunderstanding, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities,” says Norton. “These issues can lead to accidents, injuries, and compromised security in products ranging from autonomous robots to smart home devices. Ensuring the safety of AI-powered consumer products requires a new approach that addresses the unique challenges posed by AI, such as system complexity, continuous learning, and human-AI interaction. This necessitates cross-functional specialized expertise, stakeholder collaboration, and ongoing evaluation to manage the evolving risks of these products.”

Connected consumer product manufacturers, importers, and retailers have specific obligations for safety-by-design, safety assessments, software testing, and incident data collection.

Conformity assessors, who evaluate products for connectivity hazards, use F3463 to ensure appropriate considerations and verifications for testing are covered. Regulators can promote the use of the guide to the industry, in the absence of product specific regulations, and can use the guide to investigate incidents via testing.

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