Structured, versioned documentation of a model (provenance, intended use, capabilities, evaluations and known failure modes) maintained as code.
- Developed in
- ch. 14, Model cards, system cards and datasheets
ch. 05, Pattern: Model Card as Control Evidence - Chapters
- ch. 04, The Stack · ch. 05, Patterns · ch. 14, Development
- Contrast with
- System card · Data card
- Source
- Defined by this Body of Knowledge: the section it is developed in is the source
Commonly confused
Model card versus System card
- Model card
- Structured, versioned documentation of a model (provenance, intended use, capabilities, evaluations and known failure modes) maintained as code.
- System card
- Documentation of a deployed AI system as a whole (models, prompts, retrieval, tools, guardrails and oversight), where a model card documents one model.
The differenceOne model's documentation, against the deployed system's: models, prompts, retrieval, tools, guardrails and oversight.
Why it mattersDeployers and authorities need the system view; a model card alone misses the controls around the model.
Where it is used
17 chapters of the Body of Knowledge use the term. Each link opens the first section that does.
- 01 · Definition The object of governance 2 mentions
- 04 · The Stack Layer 02: Inventory & Transparency 5 mentions
- 05 · Patterns Pattern: Model Card as Control Evidence 2 mentions
- 08 · Regulatory Map EU AI Act, post-Omnibus 7 mentions
- 10 · Reading List Canonical papers: documentation, audit and accountability 3 mentions
- 11 · AI Defined Kinds of AI that change the governance problem 5 mentions
- 12 · Governance Program The stakeholder map 3 mentions
- 13 · Risk Management NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 23894 on the stack 4 mentions
- 14 · Development The technical file 7 mentions
- 15 · Deployment Model types and deployment options 4 mentions
- 16 · Fairness & XAI Intersectional and subgroup testing 6 mentions
- 17 · Incidents Incident, hazard, issue and serious incident 1 mention
- 18 · EU AI Act General-purpose AI models 3 mentions
- 19 · Privacy & AI Principles applied to AI 3 mentions
- 20 · Existing Law Non-discrimination 6 mentions
- 21 · AI Laws Worldwide United States: state laws that bind private organisations 4 mentions
- 22 · Principles & Standards OECD AI Principles 4 mentions
Patterns that use this term
14 pattern pages use the term; the 10 that use it most:
- Model Card as Control Evidence 5 mentions
- Claims Substantiation Gate 4 mentions
- Vendor / Model Due-Diligence Gate 3 mentions
- Dataset Admission Gate 2 mentions
- Fairness Eval Suite 2 mentions
- Eval Gate in CI 1 mention
- AIBOM 1 mention
- Incident Pipeline 1 mention
- FRIA-as-Code 1 mention
- Training-Data Rights Ledger 1 mention
Related terms
Sources
No external source: the term is coined or used in a specific sense by this Body of Knowledge, and the section linked under "Developed in" is its source.
Definitions of legal terms paraphrase the cited text, which governs. Dated statements are as of .