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Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) on ASTM standards and related intellectual property is prohibited. Violations will result in suspension of access.
By David Walsh
May 01, 2026
The board approved the following actions:
Len Morrissey, senior director, global business development and strategy, reported on the formation of the committee on AI in manufacturing systems (F50) earlier this year, and formal board approval was granted. Citing the transformative effects of artificial intelligence, the committee aims to create unified standards around safety, data governance, and ethical deployment.
Initial priorities will include creating: a common terminology; standards for data and modeling; validation and benchmarking frameworks; system integration and interoperability; and safety, transparency, and governance.
Morrissey also presented on the Standards Acceleration Program. Launched in 2025 and intended as a reinvestment into ASTM membership, the program received more than 200 applications and has narrowed down the proposed projects to 12 finalists. These include proposals for new standards, updates to existing standards, and new training materials/studies. Projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Communications Director Dan Bergels presented on ongoing efforts in several areas:
Efforts have been made to strengthen ASTM’s brand, following the new designs recently rolled out. The newly formed Brand Council is overseeing the continued rollout of multiple sub-brands, which aim to unify organizational branding, while training is planned for ASTM and affiliate staff to increase awareness and understanding of brand guidelines.
ASTM’s social media strategy will prioritize a review process; coordination with business units; and the implementation of a calendar and process for request categorization.
Meanwhile, ASTM’s total followers grew across all platforms, with LinkedIn now over 98,000; Facebook over 31,000;
X over 17,000; and Instagram
at approximately 7,000.
Standards Impact, ASTM’s official podcast, has now received over 30,000 total downloads from 163 countries and territories since its 2024 launch. 2026 podcasts on topics such as sensory evaluation and the Winter Olympics have further boosted traffic and engagement.
Jeff Grove, vice president, global policy, cooperation, and communications, presented on multiple topics. New welcome and follow-up efforts for members of ASTM’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) program have been implemented for Committee Weeks. The MoU program as a whole now includes 125 members.
Staff attended numerous international events in recent months, including AIDSMO, ARSO, COPANT, PASC, UNFCCC COP31 (U.N.), and the ISO General Assembly.
Collaboration efforts are ongoing in Europe, where staff has engaged multiple organizations, including partnering with AM Europe and the Joint European Drone Associations; engaging with CEN/CENELAC; and assisting in the reform of EU Standards Regulation, among other initiatives.
In Asia, collaboration with APEC, Korea’s KCL, and Enterprise Singapore (robotics) all highlight the growth of collaborative efforts in this area of the globe.
Dan Smith, vice president of technical committee operations, presented on TCO’s restructuring efforts, which began in 2025 with the goal of improving focus on member engagement and experience. The result was a structure with two companion divisions: standards/membership and member engagement. Both divisions will be working closely together as TCO expands on these areas and associated programs.
A membership report was presented, which showed overall administrative fee income increasing 4.1% over 2025 YTD. Government members now represent 11.4% of ASTM’s total participating members and organizational members, and international members make up 23.7% of membership. Student members who are active in committees also increased and now total 391, with 50 students on multiple committees.
Howard Gilson, ASTM’s vice president, digital services, updated the board on ASTM’s artificial intelligence use and strategy. Digital services faces cybersecurity threats that have increased, in part because of AI technologies. In 2025, a technical innovation team was created and has expanded in 2026. The team was formed partly to address these AI threats, but also to understand where new technologies can assist and help.
Moving forward, digital services will explore AI to understand where it may and may not help the organization as a whole.
Stuart Ratcliffe, ASTM’s vice president, sales and marketing, updated the board on recent developments, including Operation Smooth Transition, which is moving forward with efforts to facilitate the customer transition from Accuris to ASTM.
In the year since the orgnization’s shift to a new CMS platform, sales has seen improved functionality in the ability to manage content.
Future plans to make translated documents from ASTM’s MoU program available on the Compass platform were also discussed, as were plans to further expand ASTM’s Digital Library. ●
May / June 2026
