AI auditing and impact assessment: according to the UK information commissioner’s office

As the use of data and artificial intelligence systems becomes crucial to core services and business, it increasingly demands a multi-stakeholder and complex governance approach. The Information Commissioner’s Office’s ‘Guidance on the AI auditing framework: Draft guidance for consultation’ is a move forward in AI governance. The aim of this initiative is toward producing guidance that encompasses both technical (e.g. system impact assessments) and non-engineering (e.g. human oversight) components to governance and represents a significant milestone in the movement towards standardising AI governance. This paper will summarise and critically evaluate the ICO effort and try to anticipate future debates and present some general recommendations.