AI accountability and role assignment
Definition
Clear assignment of responsibility and decision rights for AI systems across design, deployment, monitoring, and incident response, so liability does not default to ambiguity.
Board-Defensible Evidence
- Role and responsibility model (RASCI or equivalent) naming accountable owners for business outcomes, technical operation, risk oversight, compliance review, and security controls, with documented decision rights.
- System-level ownership records showing named individuals and back-ups, last reviewed dates, and evidence of acceptance of responsibility for required control obligations.
- Approval workflow documentation showing who can authorize production deployment, who can approve exceptions, and who can stop or roll back a model when risk thresholds are breached.
- Meeting minutes or governance committee charters showing escalation pathways, quorum requirements, and how disputed decisions are resolved and recorded.
- Incident accountability evidence showing who is on the response roster, who must be notified, what timelines apply, and how post-incident corrective actions are assigned and tracked.
Why This Matters
When a regulator asks who was accountable, undefined roles convert a technical failure into a governance and liability failure.