National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is the United States' congressionally chartered institution for independent scientific advice to government. Its origins trace to March 3, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Act of Incorporation establishing the National Academy of Sciences, with a mandate to advise federal agencies on scientific and technical matters whenever called upon. Over the following century, two additional constituent bodies were established under the same charter: the National Academy of Engineering in 1964, and the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) in 1970. A 2015 reorganization unified these bodies under the current NASEM umbrella while maintaining the NAS corporate charter. The organization does not conduct original research. Instead, it convenes expert volunteer committees drawn from academia, industry, and government to produce consensus studies — rigorous, peer-reviewed reports that synthesize existing evidence and offer authoritative recommendations. These reports are widely used by Congress, federal agencies, and state governments to shape legislation, regulation, and institutional practice. The National Academies have produced over 10,000 such reports on topics ranging from nuclear weapons policy to vaccine safety to climate science. Approximately 70 percent of the organization's annual budget of roughly $360 million comes from federal government contracts and grants, with the remainder from private foundations, corporations, and endowment income. The organization employs around 1,000 professional staff and engages a membership of more than 6,300 elected scientists, engineers, and health professionals, with over 20,000 total participants including volunteers annually. On artificial intelligence, NASEM has become an increasingly important voice in safety and governance debates. Key AI-related outputs include reports and workshops on machine learning safety in high-stakes settings (such as autonomous vehicles and medical devices), AI biosecurity implications in the life sciences, AI governance and accountability frameworks, foundation models for scientific discovery, and the future of work under AI. The organization also advises Congress directly through briefings on AI and related technology policy. NASEM's role is as a convener and consensus builder: it brings together experts with diverse views to forge evidence-based recommendations that cut through partisan debate.