7 Clause
Framework for characterizing AI system methods and capabilities
The clause brings the two axes together. It relates AI tasks, components, methods and capabilities, and then presents the characterization framework itself. The output is a matrix in which a method and a capability are paired.
What this settles
The matrix is the deliverable, and its value depends on the pairing rule. A grid of labels with no rule for which cell a fact belongs in becomes a colouring exercise.
Who it binds
The organisation, as a method choice. The clause creates no legal duty. It creates the structure a description uses and a reviewer can test.
What to do in your practice
Adopt the pairing rule before filling the grid: one row per method, one column per capability group, and one evidence item per cell that carries a claim. Cells with no claim stay empty and say why.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
| A pairing rule with one worked example. | Shows the matrix is built by a rule, not by taste. |
|---|---|
| A completed matrix for one system with evidence per claimed cell. | Proves the structure carries real content. |
| A list of empty cells with the reason each is empty. | Distinguishes "not applicable" from "not done". |
For the last fact we put in the matrix, which cell did it belong to, and what rule decided that?
Common gaps this page catches
- The matrix is filled by different people with different pairing rules.
- Empty cells are read as "not applicable" when they are actually "not done".
- The matrix has no evidence column, so a claim and a fact look the same.
What to prepare before publication
Write the pairing rule and use it on one system. Keep the empty-cell reasons; they are the most useful part of the first pass.
How to test it here
Take one live system rather than a template, find the field or sentence where Framework for characterizing AI system methods and capabilities is used, and put this page beside it. Record the answer, the artefact and the date. A glossary entry on its own is an intention; a dated record beside a live artefact is evidence.
What this page does not claim
The page does not reproduce the draft, does not know the descriptor wording that the public preview withholds, and does not certify the system or the organisation. It states the unit at the claim level "framework clause" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does Framework for characterizing AI system methods and capabilities mean in ISO/IEC DIS 42102?
- The clause brings the two axes together. It relates AI tasks, components, methods and capabilities, and then presents the characterization framework itself. The output is a matrix in which a method and a capability are paired.
- What evidence should we keep for 7?
- A pairing rule with one worked example. A completed matrix for one system with evidence per claimed cell.
- Is Framework for characterizing AI system methods and capabilities a requirement?
- No. The draft is a descriptive framework. It sets no management system requirement and no conformity test. It becomes binding only when a contract, a regulator or a management system adopts it.
Related units
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