Just as every new medicine comes with a leaflet outlining its risks, side effects, and proper usage, the future of AI will require something similar: an impact assessment report that tells us how safe AI systems are before we use them. This shift is driven by new regulations like the EU AI Act and ISO 42001 standards, which will legally mandate companies to document how AI systems could affect individuals and society. But until now, no one knew exactly what these AI “leaflets” should look like.

We have filled that gap. Working closely with AI practitioners and compliance experts, we co-designed an AI impact assessment template that offers a practical, structured approach to documenting AI risks and benefits. Unlike other documentation that broadly addresses AI systems or models, this template focuses specifically on the “intended use” of the system— much like how a medicine leaflet details the specific way the drug should be used for safety and effectiveness. It breaks the use down into essential components—such as the AI subject, user, technical capabilities, purpose, and domain—allowing for a more precise evaluation of whether the system poses minimal, high, or even unacceptable risks.

The template is organized into five key sections (see Sections A–E in the figure above): it begins with the system's intended use and its components, such as data (A), identifies potential risks to individuals and society (B), lists strategies for mitigating those risks (C), outlines the system's anticipated benefits (D), and concludes with governance and reporting mechanisms (E).

The template can be used to document impacts throughout the entire life of an AI system, from its development to its everyday use, and is flexible enough to fit different types of AI projects. This research helps create a standard way to document AI systems and makes that information easier to access and understand.

Publications

• Co-designing an AI Impact Assessment Report Template with AI Practitioners and AI Compliance Experts. AAAI/ACM AIES 2024 PDF