Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses significant opportunities for both businesses and society—but it also poses potential risks. One area where AI is a significant challenge relates to the ways software and other technologies have been traditionally regulated. AI systems make it difficult to assign accountability for decisions where they occur. The scope of AI makes it difficult to develop governance frameworks to appropriately guide its use.

Standards provide a promising option for addressing these governance challenges. By bringing together diverse experts, policymakers, and advocates, standards development processes provide important forums for developing new and innovative governance approaches, which can respond to the opportunities and challenges brought about by AI.

Whistic has and will continue to leverage available standards and make them available in our platform as your organization begins to develop their own approach to AI governance. Here are two new questionnaires based on these standards.

capAI Questionnaire

On June 14, 2023, members of the European Parliament adopted the AI Act. The talks will now begin with EU countries in the council on the final form of the law.

The priority of this law is to make sure that AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly. AI systems should be overseen by people, rather than by automation, to prevent harmful outcomes.

The new rules establish obligations for providers and users depending on the level of risk from AI:

Unacceptable risk

AI systems that are considered a threat to people will be banned. They include:

Cognitive behavioral manipulation of people or specific vulnerable groups (e.g. voice-activated toys that encourage dangerous behavior in children)
Social scoring that classifies people based on behavior, socio-economic status, or personal characteristics
Real-time and remote biometric identification systems such as facial recognition

High risk

AI systems that negatively affect safety or fundamental rights will be considered high risk and will need to be assessed before being put on the market and also throughout their life cycle. AI systems that fall into one of eight specific areas will have to be registered in an EU database, including:

Biometric identification and categorization of natural persons
Management and operation of critical infrastructure
Education and vocational training
Employment, worker management, and access to self-employment
Access to and enjoyment of essential private services and public services and benefits
Migration, asylum, and border-control management
Assistance in legal interpretation and application of the law

Generative AI, like ChatGPT, would have to comply with transparency requirements:

Disclosing that the content was generated by AI
Designing the model to prevent it from generating illegal content
Publishing summaries of copyrighted data used for training

In response to the act, the University of Oxford researchers created a tool called capAI, a procedure for conducting conformity assessment of AI systems in line with EU legislation. capAI provides organizations with guidance on how to translate high-level ethics principles into verifiable criteria that help shape the design, development, deployment, and use of ethical AI.

Whistic has taken the text and organized it into a questionnaire that can be used to evaluate AI use cases and ensure the development and operation of AI systems are trustworthy. Click here to learn more.

ISO 23053 Questionnaire

In June of 2022, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) created ISO/IEC 23053:2022, a framework for AI and systems using Machine Learning (ML).

By establishing a common terminology and a common set of concepts for such systems, the framework describes the system components and their functions in the AI ecosystem. It is applicable to all types and sizes of organizations, including public and private companies, government entities, and not-for-profit organizations that are implementing or using AI systems.

Whistic has taken the text and organized it into a questionnaire that can be used to evaluate AI use cases and to ensure the development and operation of AI systems are trustworthy and meet your organizations internal requirements. Click here to learn more.