“Technical standards and evaluations” by Horizon Institute for Public Service

This guide explains how the US government develops and uses technical standards and evaluations and how they intersect with emerging technology policy. It outlines key institutions and processes and discusses considerations and opportunities for working in this space. ---Outline:(00:11) Overview(02:16) Why does the government use technical standards and evaluations?(04:39) Technical standards and evaluations basics(04:44) What are technical standards?(06:57) What are evaluations?(08:38) The lifecycle of standards and evals(09:44) Who makes standards?(12:28) How US agencies adopt and use standards(15:45) Standards & evaluations for emerging technology(16:29) AI(18:29) Biosecurity and life sciences(21:45) Why (not) work on technical standards & evaluations?(22:02) The case for impact(24:09) The case for professional growth(25:24) Limitations(27:34) How does the USG engage with standards? Who's involved?(29:16) Agencies creating standards themselves(31:56) Agencies participating in external (non-governmental) standard-setting bodies(33:06) Agencies or legislators adopting or referencing external standards(35:01) Working on standards & evals: types of roles and career opportunities(35:25) Preparing for standards & evals roles(40:20) Appendices: Day-in-the-life(40:34) Further reading --- If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests. The original text contained 4 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: March 26th, 2026 Source: https://emergingtechpolicy.org/areas/technical-standards-and-evaluations