AI Council Mentorship Program for Public Safety Organizations.

The challenges organizations are trying to address:

·??? The need for AI governance: This document explains that AI technology poses significant risks and ethical dilemmas, such as bias, privacy, accountability, transparency, and social impact, and that organizations need to establish a governance framework that ensures the responsible and ethical use of AI across their operations and stakeholders.

·??? The role of an AI Council within their organization: The document proposes that one way to achieve AI governance is to create an AI Council, a cross-functional and multidisciplinary body that oversees and guides the development, deployment, and evaluation of AI solutions within the organization, and that aligns the organization's AI strategy with its vision, values, and goals.

·??? The functions and elements of an AI Council: This document describes the main functions and elements of an AI Council, such as defining and communicating the AI vision, values, and policies, reviewing and approving the AI use cases and projects, monitoring and evaluating the performance and impact of the AI solutions, providing guidance and support to the AI practitioners and users, engaging and collaborating with the external stakeholders, and promoting and facilitating the learning and innovation of AI within the organization. The document also outlines the composition and structure of an AI Council, such as the core team, the network of experts, the steering committee, and the stakeholder group.

·??? The roles and responsibilities of an AI Council: This document divides the roles and responsibilities of an AI Council into four phases: Getting Ready, Onboard & Engage, Deliver Impact, and Extend and Optimize. In each phase, the AI Council coordinates with user enablement and technical readiness teams as well as external experts to understand the risks, issues and opportunities presented by AI in the organization.

·??? The processes and tools for an AI Council: This document lists the processes and tools for an AI Council, such as communication, collaboration, evaluation, and documentation, and explains how they enable the AI Council to perform its functions effectively and efficiently. The document also provides examples of the methods and instruments for each type of process and tool, such as meetings, forums, events, newsletters, websites, presentations, publications, surveys, interviews, research, focus groups, workshops, communities, audits, tests, validations, certifications, risk assessments, impact assessments, mitigation plans, contingency plans, metrics, indicators, data sheets, model cards, fact sheets, explanation sheets, consent forms, dashboards, reports, and knowledge bases.

·??? The challenges and benefits of an AI Council: The document acknowledges the challenges and difficulties of creating and operating an AI Council, such as the complexity, pace of change, authority, impact, and collaboration of the AI domain, and suggests some ways to overcome them. This document also highlights the benefits and opportunities of having an AI Council, such as enhancing and accelerating the AI journey, managing risk and addressing operational challenges, and creating an environment of trust and innovation.

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Creating your AI Council A Guide for Responsible and Ethical AI Governance

Introduction

AI technology is revolutionizing every sector, including business, government, and society, by presenting new prospects and challenges. The formation of AIRC.NIST.GOV was driven by the need to manage the risks associated with AI technologies, such as bias, privacy, and ethical dilemmas, and to promote their trustworthy and responsible use. This framework was developed in response to the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, aiming to provide a voluntary, rights-preserving, and non-sector-specific guide for organizations designing, developing, deploying, or using AI systems

In light of the executive orders from the governors of California, Washington, the Premier of the Province of Ontario, and soon more governments, organizations must consider AI tools planning with a focus on the development, use, and risks of AI technologies. These orders emphasize the importance of establishing a governance framework that ensures the responsible and ethical use of AI, addressing potential harms while advancing their usefulness and trustworthiness.

Therefore, it is essential for organizations to establish a governance framework that ensures the responsible and ethical use of AI across their operations and stakeholders, considering the guidance provided by AIRC.NIST.GOV and the executive orders from California and Washington state governors' offices, and other government entities around the world. This will help in mitigating significant risks and ethical dilemmas, such as bias, privacy, accountability, transparency, and social impact, ensuring AI technologies are leveraged in a manner that benefits all.

AI technology is transforming every aspect of business, government, and society, creating new opportunities and challenges for organizations. However, AI also poses significant risks and ethical dilemmas, such as bias, privacy, accountability, transparency, and social impact.? ?Therefore, it is essential for organizations to establish a governance framework that ensures the responsible and ethical use of AI across their operations and stakeholders.

One way to achieve this is to create an AI Council, a cross-functional and multidisciplinary body that oversees and guides the development, deployment, and evaluation of AI solutions within the organization. An AI Council can help to align the organization's AI strategy with its vision, values, and goals, as well as to identify and mitigate potential risks and harms of AI. An AI Council can also foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation among the AI practitioners, users, and beneficiaries within and outside the organization.

In this document, we will provide your with our process and guidance on how to create an AI Council in your organization, based on the best practices and recommendations from various sources, such as the OECD Principles on AI, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, and the Microsoft AI Governance Framework. We will cover the following topics:

?????? The objectives and functions of an AI Council

?????? The composition and structure of an AI Council

?????? The roles and responsibilities of an AI Council

?????? The processes and tools for an AI Council

?????? The challenges and benefits of an AI Council

The Objectives and Functions of an AI Council

The main objective of an AI Council is to ensure that the organization's AI solutions are aligned with its ethical principles, legal obligations, and social responsibilities. To achieve this, an AI Council performs the following functions:

?????? Define and communicate the organization's AI vision, values, and policies, based on the relevant ethical frameworks and standards, such as the OECD Principles on AI, the NIST AI RMF, the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, and the Microsoft AI Governance Framework.

?????? Review and approve the AI use cases and projects proposed by the different business units and teams within the organization, based on the criteria of feasibility, desirability, and viability, as well as the potential benefits and risks of AI.

?????? Model trusted leadership behavior for driving change including, but not limited to curiosity, inclusiveness, encouragement and empathy.? Authenticity while on the shared learning journey is a key aspect of understanding risks, issues, opportunities, and gaps in depth. ?

?????? Monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of the AI solutions deployed by the organization, using the appropriate metrics and indicators, such as accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and sustainability.

?????? Provide guidance and support to the AI practitioners and users within the organization, such as data scientists, engineers, developers, analysts, and managers, on how to apply the AI principles, policies, and best practices in their work.

?????? Engage and collaborate with the external stakeholders of the organization, such as customers, partners, regulators, civil society, and academia, on the issues and opportunities related to AI, and solicit their feedback and input on the organization's AI strategy and solutions.

?????? Promote and facilitate the learning and innovation of AI within the organization, by creating and sharing the knowledge, resources, and tools for AI development and use, and by encouraging the experimentation and exploration of new AI possibilities and applications.

The Composition and Structure of an AI Council

The composition and structure of an AI Council should reflect the diversity and complexity of the AI domain, as well as the organization's culture and context. An AI Council should include the following elements:

?????? A core team of members who are responsible for the day-to-day operations and decision-making of the AI Council, such as setting the agenda, conducting the reviews, providing the guidance, and reporting the outcomes. The core team should consist of representatives from the distinct functions and levels of the organization, such as senior management, legal, compliance, risk, ethics, data, technology, business, and human resources.

?????? A network of experts who are consulted by the core team on specific AI topics and issues, such as technical, legal, ethical, social, and domain-specific aspects. The network of experts should consist of internal and external experts, such as data scientists, engineers, developers, lawyers, ethicists, sociologists, psychologists, and domain specialists. ?Green IT Consulting has already partnered with a network of experts and will bring them into our engagements to facilitate your processes.

?????? A steering committee of sponsors who are accountable for the overall direction and oversight of the AI Council, such as defining the vision, values, and policies, approving the budget and resources, and endorsing the recommendations and actions. The steering committee should consist of senior executives and leaders from the organization, such as the CEO, CTO, CDO, CIO, CISO, CFO, and CMO or other senior roles as appropriate. ?

?????? A stakeholder group of participants who participate in the implementation and evaluation of AI solutions, such as proposing, developing, deploying, and using AI solutions. The stakeholder group should consist of the AI practitioners and users from the different business units and teams within the organization, as well as the customers, partners, regulators, civil society, and academia outside the organization.

The composition and structure of an AI Council can vary depending on the size, scope, and maturity of the organization and its AI activities. However, it is important to ensure that the AI Council has the following characteristics:

?????? Diversity: The AI Council should include members and experts from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, to ensure a comprehensive and balanced view of AI.

?????? Independence: The AI Council should operate with autonomy and authority, to ensure a credible and objective assessment of AI.

?????? Transparency: The AI Council should communicate its processes, criteria, and outcomes, to ensure a clear and consistent understanding of AI.

?????? Accountability: The AI Council should be accountable for its decisions and actions, to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI.

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The Roles and Responsibilities of an AI Council

The roles and responsibilities of an AI Council can be divided into four phases in alignment with the overall Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and specifically the Microsoft 365 Implementation Framework: Getting Ready, Onboard & Engage, Deliver Impact and Extending and Optimizing business value.? ?

These phases incorporate the three distinct journeys your organization and its people will embark upon: the leadership journey, user enablement and technical readiness. The creation of an AI Council is an activity within the leadership journey in your organization. ?

In each phase, the AI Council coordinates with user enablement and technical readiness teams as well as external experts to understand the risks, issues and opportunities presented by AI in the organization. It often performs the following roles and responsibilities by phase:

Getting Ready: In this phase, the AI Council defines and communicates the organization's AI vision, values, and policies, and reviews and approves the AI use cases and projects proposed by the different business units and teams within the organization.

?????? Define and communicate the organization's AI vision, values, and policies, based on the relevant ethical frameworks and standards, such as the OECD Principles on AI, the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, and the Microsoft AI Governance Framework.

?????? Establish and communicate the criteria and process for reviewing and approving the AI use cases and projects, such as the feasibility, desirability, and viability, as well as the potential benefits and risks of AI.

?????? Review and approve the AI use cases and projects submitted by the different business units and teams within the organization, using the criteria and process established by the AI Council.

Onboard & Engage: In this phase, the AI Council provides guidance and support to the AI practitioners and users within the organization on how to apply the AI principles, policies, and best practices in their work. Opportunities to engage in this phase include, but are not limited to: ?

?????? Provide guidance and support to user enablement and technology leaders on how to apply the AI principles, policies, and best practices in their work, such as the data quality, security, privacy, fairness, transparency, accountability, gathering feedback and sustainability of AI.

?????? Provide feedback and recommendations to the proposers of the AI use cases and projects, such as the alignment, compliance, and improvement of the AI solutions.

?????? Consult and collaborate with the network of experts on specific AI topics and issues, such as technical, legal, ethical, social, and domain-specific aspects.

?????? Monitor and supervise the development and deployment of AI solutions, using the appropriate tools and methods, such as audits, tests, validations, and certifications. This includes active participation in AI Service Health Reviews as conducted by a joint User and Technical Enablement team. ?

?????? Identify and mitigate the potential risks and harms of the AI solutions, using the appropriate measures and actions, such as risk assessments, impact assessments, mitigation plans, and contingency plans.

Deliver Impact: In this phase, the AI Council monitors and evaluates the performance and impact of the AI solutions deployed by the organization, using the appropriate metrics and indicators, such as accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and sustainability. It may conduct activities such as: ?

?????? Fostering a culture of trust in sharing AI enablement experiences. Ensure transparency in all forms of projects including those deemed as learning experiences rather than demonstratable successes.

?????? Engage and collaborate with the external stakeholders of the organization, such as customers, partners, regulators, civil society, and academia, on the issues and opportunities related to AI, and solicit their feedback and input on the organization's AI strategy and solutions.

?????? Report and communicate the outcomes and learnings of the AI solutions, using the appropriate channels and formats, such as dashboards, reports, presentations, and publications.

?????? Promote and facilitate the learning and innovation of AI within the organization, by creating and sharing the knowledge, resources, and tools for AI development and use, and by encouraging the experimentation and exploration of new AI possibilities and applications.

Extend and Optimize: In this phase, the AI Council evaluates future opportunities based on current performance, identified business opportunities, competitive differentiators, and emerging technologies. ?

?????? Monitor and evaluate emerging technologies for new capabilities. ?

?????? Review with internal/external stakeholders and experts opportunities for competitive differentiation or business value acceleration through the use of AI capabilities. ?

?????? Review recommendations made through regular Service Health Reviews as conducted by the joint implementation team. ?

?????? Understand employee sentiment with existing AI services through established feedback channels. Evaluate for capability adjustments or to identify gaps. ?

?????? Provide recommendations for further investment in AI capabilities for the organization based on the analysis of the above. ?

The Processes and Tools for an AI Council

The processes and tools for an AI Council are the methods and instruments that enable the AI Council to perform its functions effectively and efficiently. The processes and tools for an AI Council can be categorized into four types: communication, collaboration, evaluation, and documentation. In each type, the AI Council can use the following processes and tools:

Communication: The communication processes and tools are the methods and instruments that enable the AI Council to communicate its vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings to the different stakeholders of the organization and its AI solutions, such as the senior management, the business units, the AI practitioners, the AI users, the customers, the partners, the regulators, the civil society, and the academia. The communication processes and tools can include the following:

?????? Meetings: The meetings are the regular and ad hoc gatherings of the AI Council members and experts, as well as the other stakeholders, to discuss, review, approve, monitor, evaluate, and report the AI use cases, projects, and solutions. Select meetings may be open to the general population of the organization. ?

?????? Forums & Communities: Regular engagement throughout internal communities of practice regarding AI related topics. The forums are online platforms that are used to collect the feedback and input of the different stakeholders on the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, as well as on specific AI use cases, projects, and solutions, through moderated discussion.

?????? Events: Conduct general awareness town halls or large-scale meetings to aid in the user enablement and understanding of AI capabilities and their use in the organization. ?

?????? Newsletters: The newsletters are the periodic publications that are used to communicate the AI Council's vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings to the different stakeholders.

?????? Websites: The websites are online platforms that are used to communicate the AI Council's vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings to the different stakeholders, as well as providing access to the resources and tools for AI development and use.

?????? Presentations\Video: The presentations are the oral and visual displays that are used to communicate the AI Council's vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings to the different stakeholders, such as in conferences, workshops, seminars, and webinars.

?????? Publications: The publications are written and digital documents that are used to communicate the AI Council's vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings to the different stakeholders, such as in reports, papers, articles, and books.

Collaboration: The collaboration processes and tools are the methods and instruments that enable the AI Council to collaborate with the different stakeholders of the organization and its AI solutions, such as the senior management, the business units, the AI practitioners, the AI users, the customers, the partners, the regulators, the civil society, and the academia, on the issues and opportunities related to AI, and to solicit their feedback and input on the organization's AI strategy and solutions. The collaboration processes and tools can include the following:

?????? Surveys: The surveys are the questionnaires that are used to collect the feedback and input of the different stakeholders on the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, as well as on the specific AI use cases, projects, and solutions.

?????? Interviews: The interviews are the conversations that are used to collect the feedback and input of the different stakeholders on the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, as well as on the specific AI use cases, projects, and solutions.

Research & focus groups: The focus groups are the small groups of stakeholders that are used to collect the feedback and input of the different stakeholders on the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, as well as on the specific AI use cases, projects, and solutions, through a moderated discussion.

?????? Workshops: The workshops are the interactive sessions that are used to collect the feedback and input of the different stakeholders on the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, as well as on the specific AI use cases, projects, and solutions, through a facilitated activity.

?????? Communities: The communities are the groups of stakeholders that are used to collect the feedback and input of the different stakeholders on the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, as well as on the specific AI use cases, projects, and solutions, through a shared interest and engagement.

?????? Evaluation: The evaluation processes and tools are the methods and instruments that enable the AI Council to evaluate the feasibility, desirability, and viability, as well as the potential benefits and risks of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, and to monitor and measure the performance and impact of the AI solutions deployed by the organization, using the appropriate metrics and indicators, such as accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and sustainability. The evaluation processes and tools can include the following:

?????? Audits: The audits are the systematic and independent examinations of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, to verify their compliance with the organization's AI vision, values, policies, criteria, and processes, as well as with the relevant ethical frameworks and standards, such as the OECD Principles on AI, the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, and the Microsoft AI Governance Framework.

?????? Tests: The tests are empirical and experimental assessments of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, to measure their technical and functional performance, such as the accuracy, reliability, robustness, and efficiency of AI.

?????? Validations: The validations are the logical and theoretical assessments of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, to verify their conceptual and methodological soundness, such as the validity, consistency, coherence, and completeness of AI.

?????? Certifications: The certifications are the formal and official recognitions of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, to attest to their quality and trustworthiness, such as the conformity, interoperability, security, and safety of AI.

?????? Risk assessments: The risk assessments are systematic and comprehensive analyses of AI use cases, projects, and solutions, to identify and evaluate their potential risks and harms, such as bias, privacy, accountability, transparency, and social impact of AI.

Impact assessments: The impact assessments are the systematic and comprehensive analyses of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, to identify and evaluate their potential benefits and opportunities, such as the value, utility, innovation, and sustainability of AI.

?????? Mitigation plans: The mitigation plans are the strategies and actions that are designed and implemented to reduce or eliminate the potential risks and harms of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the corrective, preventive, and protective measures for AI.

?????? Contingency plans: The contingency plans are the strategies and actions that are designed and implemented to cope with or recover from the potential risks and harms of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the backup, recovery, and emergency measures for AI.

?????? Metrics: Metrics are the quantitative and qualitative measures that are used to monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of AI solutions deployed by the organization, such as the accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and sustainability of those solutions.

?????? Indicators: The indicators are the signals and signs that are used to monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of the AI solutions deployed by the organization, such as the feedback, ratings, reviews, and complaints of AI.

?????? Documentation: The documentation processes and tools are the methods and instruments that enable the AI Council to document and record the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, as well as their criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, for the purposes of transparency, accountability, and learning. The documentation processes and tools can include the following:

?????? Data sheets: The data sheets are the documents that describe the characteristics and properties of the data that are used for the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the source, type, format, size, quality, security, and privacy of data.

?????? Model cards: The model cards are documents that describe the characteristics and properties of the models that are used for the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the architecture, parameters, inputs, outputs, performance, and limitations of models.

?????? Fact sheets: The fact sheets are the documents that describe the characteristics and properties of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the purpose, scope, functionality, and impact of AI.

?????? Explanation sheets: The explanation sheets are the documents that explain the logic and reasoning behind the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the assumptions, methods, algorithms, and outcomes of AI.

Consent forms: The consent forms are the documents that obtain the consent and permission of the data subjects and the AI users for the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, such as the data collection, processing, and sharing, and the AI functionality, and impact.

?????? Dashboards: The dashboards are visual and interactive displays that show the status and progress of the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, as well as their performance and impact, using metrics and indicators, such as the accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and sustainability of AI.

?????? Reports: The reports are the written and digital documents that summarize and communicate the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, as well as their criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, using the data sheets, model cards, fact sheets, explanation sheets, and dashboards, such as the feasibility, desirability, and viability, as well as the potential benefits and risks of AI.

?????? Knowledge bases: The knowledge bases are the repositories and databases that store and organize the AI use cases, projects, and solutions, as well as their criteria, processes, outcomes, and learnings, using the data sheets, model cards, fact sheets, explanation sheets, consent forms, dashboards, and reports, for the purposes of transparency, accountability, and learning.

The Challenges and Benefits of an AI Council

The creation and operation of an AI Council can pose some challenges and difficulties for the organization and its AI solutions, such as the following:

Complexity: The AI domain is complex and dynamic, involving multiple dimensions, aspects, and factors, such as technical, legal, ethical, social, and domain-specific aspects, which require a comprehensive and balanced understanding and assessment of AI.

Pace of Change: AI capabilities are changing at a rapid pace. Staying up to date requires ongoing collaboration with internal and external experts to understand the evolving landscape. ?

Authority: The AI Council should have a clear mandate and authority to oversee and guide the AI strategy, governance, and implementation of the organization. This can ensure the alignment of AI with the organization's vision, mission, and values, but also requires the support and trust of the senior management and other relevant parties.

Impact: The AI Council must avoid staying in the analysis phase for too long and generate iterations of guidance at a pace that supports the evolving landscape and needs of the business. ?

Collaboration: To be effective the AI Council must include feedback and insights from the core workforce, not just its executive management, to have a deeper understanding of risks, issues, and opportunities for cross-organizational process improvement. This feedback can be gathered through the user enablement workstream and from insights presented from Service Health Reviews and other sentiment gathering tools. ?

Conclusion

The creation of an AI Council can enhance and accelerate your journey to becoming an AI powered organization while managing risk and addressing operational challenges. It provides an opportunity for learning across your leadership team in how to approach leveraging this transformational and important emerging technology. ?

Most importantly, it creates an opportunity for leaders to expand their skills of leading in the era of AI by creating an environment of trust with employees, customers, and partners about the intended use of AI within the business. By modelling transparent and consistent behavior as AI solutions are evaluated trust throughout the organization can translate to deeper employee engagement, competitive advantages, and a readiness to optimize the opportunities for growth presented by AI. ?

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Why Partner with Green IT Consulting?

Expertise: To establish an effective AI Council, organizations need to leverage the experience and knowledge of experts who can help them navigate the complex and dynamic AI domain. Green IT Consulting has been working in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management for 30 years, providing solutions for large intranets and Microsoft 365 deployments across various sectors and regions. Our team has deep understanding of the technical, legal, ethical, and social aspects of AI, as well as the best practices and tools for AI governance and implementation.

Partnership: Green IT Consulting, LLC is not just a vendor, but a trusted partner who can help organizations align their AI strategy with their vision, mission, and values. We have been engaged in the Microsoft Partner ecosystem for over 30 years, and are well regarded as industry experts in our field. We can collaborate with the senior management, the AI Council, and the core workforce to provide feedback, insights, and guidance at every stage of the AI journey. We can also facilitate the communication and coordination with other external stakeholders, such as regulators, customers, or civil society groups, to ensure transparency and accountability.

Value: Green IT Consulting, LLC can help organizations realize the full potential and value of AI, while mitigating the risks and challenges. We can help them set clear and measurable goals and metrics for their AI initiatives, monitor and evaluate their performance and impact, and identify and address any issues or gaps. We can also help them foster a culture of innovation and learning, where AI is seen as an opportunity for improvement and growth, rather than a threat or a burden.

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Given the number of AI technologies, the number of possible uses, and the range of opportunities, it can be challenging to know what to prioritize and where to start. We believe there are five drivers of organizational readiness to deliver value with AI:

1.??? Business strategy

2.??? Technology and data strategy

3.??? AI strategy and Experience

4.??? Organization and Culture

5.??? AI Governance

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Appendix

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Demo’s of AI usage in Microsoft Technologies:

??????? Copilot in Teams Meetings

??????? Copilot in Outlook

??????? Copilot in Word

??????? Copilot in PowerPoint

??????? Copilot in Excel

??????? Copilot in Teams chat

??????? Copilot in Whiteboard

??????? Just enough access Introduction

??????? Just enough access example of sensitivity blocking access

??????? Just enough access sensitivity labeling admin process

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Figure 1- NIST AI RMF Functions

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Functions organize AI risk management activities at their highest level to establish the context and enumerate, assess, treat, monitor, review, and report risk. Categories are the subdivisions of a function into groups of outcomes closely tied to programmatic needs and particular activities. Subcategories further divide a category into specific outcomes of technical and/or management activities

1.??? Map: Context is established, and risks related to the context are enumerated. The purpose of this function is “to find, recognize, and describe risks” posed by an AI system. The baseline information gathered as part of this function informs decisions about model management, including the decisions that an AI solution is unwarranted or inappropriate versus the status quo, per a qualitative or more formal quantitative analysis of benefits, costs, and risks, and to stop development or to refrain from deployment.

2.??? Measure: Enumerated risks are analyzed, quantified, or tracked where possible. The purpose of this function is to comprehend the nature of risk or impact and its characteristics and to facilitate the management of such risk as set forth below. This function forms the basis for determining how the enumerated risk should be managed.

3.??? Manage: Risks are prioritized, and either avoided, mitigated, shared, transferred, or accepted based on measured severity. The purpose of this function is to support decisions and to select and implement options for addressing risk. Decisions should take account of the context and the actual and perceived consequences to external and internal stakeholders, as well as interactions of the proposed system with the status quo world, and potential transitional costs that may be addressed in advance of deployment or changes in status quo (including other systems, organizational structures, etc.) that may need to be made to ensure benefits are achieved and risks minimized.

4.??? Govern: Appropriate organizational measures, set of policies, processes, and operating procedures, and specification of roles and responsibilities are in place. The purpose of this function is to cultivate and implement a culture of risk management and to help ensure the risk responses are effectively and consistently carried out.

Setting Up Microsoft Teams for an AI Council Initiative

A Comprehensive Guide for Administrators

Introduction

The AI Council Mentorship Program aims to establish a robust AI governance framework within organizations. To support this initiative, this guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up a Microsoft Teams environment. This setup will facilitate collaboration, communication, and documentation for your AI Council.

Creating the Microsoft Teams Environment

1. Team Creation

To begin, create a new team in Microsoft Teams:

1. Open Microsoft Teams.

2. Select "Teams" from the left-hand sidebar.

3. Click "Join or create a team" at the bottom of the Teams list.

4. Select "Create team" and choose "From scratch."

5. Choose "Private" or "Public" depending on your organization's preference.

6. Name your team "AI Council Initiative" and add a description if desired.

7. Click "Create."

2. Channel Structure

Organize your team with dedicated channels to streamline communication and collaboration:

·???????? General: Use this channel for announcements, high-level updates, and general discussions.

·???????? AI Vision & Policies: Centralize discussions and documents related to your organization's AI vision, values, and policies.

·???????? AI Projects: Track and manage AI use cases and projects proposed by different business units.

·???????? AI Reviews & Approvals: Conduct reviews and approvals of AI use cases, ensuring they align with your strategy and ethical guidelines.

·???????? External Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with customers, partners, regulators, and other external stakeholders on AI-related issues.

·???????? Learning & Development: Share resources, host workshops, and promote the learning and innovation of AI within the organization.

3. File Structure

Organize your files in SharePoint Online, integrated with Microsoft Teams:

·???????? General: Store high-level documents, meeting minutes, and strategic overviews.

·???????? AI Vision & Policies: Archive AI policy documents, ethical guidelines, and value statements.

·???????? AI Projects: Maintain project proposals, feasibility studies, and project plans.

·???????? AI Reviews & Approvals: Keep review documents, approval records, and ethical assessments.

·???????? External Stakeholder Engagement: Save collaboration documents, feedback forms, and external reports.

·???????? Learning & Development: Store educational materials, workshop presentations, and innovation journals.

4. Using Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner can help manage tasks and track progress:

·???????? Create a Plan: Within your AI Council Team, go to the desired channel and add a new tab by clicking the "+" icon, then select "Planner." Name your plan "AI Council Tasks."

·???????? Task Categorization: Use buckets to categorize tasks according to phases, such as "Getting Ready," "Onboard & Engage," "Deliver Impact," and "Extend & Optimize."

·???????? Assign Tasks: Assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and add necessary details to ensure clarity and accountability.

·???????? Track Progress: Use the charts and board views in Planner to monitor task progress and identify any bottlenecks or areas needing attention.

5. Creating Microsoft Groups

To enhance collaboration and manage access, create Microsoft Groups as part of your Teams environment. Here are potential groups and their features:

·???????? AI Council Members: This group includes all core members of the AI Council. They have full access to all channels, files, and Planner tasks. Capabilities: Full edit and view permissions. Security: Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access policies to ensure secure access.

·???????? External Stakeholders: Include external partners, customers, and regulators. Limit their access to the "External Stakeholder Engagement" channel. Capabilities: View and comment permissions. Security: Use guest access settings and secure sharing links to control their access to sensitive information.

·???????? Project Teams: Create sub-groups for specific AI projects. Members include AI Council members and project team members. Capabilities: Full access to project-specific channels and files. Security: Apply role-based access control to ensure only authorized members can access project details.

·???????? Learning & Development Group: This group includes members interested in AI learning and development. Capabilities: Access to the "Learning & Development" channel and resources. Security: Ensure proper permissions to access educational materials and participation in workshops.

6. SharePoint Site Collection

To support the AI Council initiative, consider creating a dedicated SharePoint Site Collection. This site can serve as a central repository for all documents, resources, and collaboration efforts. Here are some elements to include:

·???????? Document Libraries: Organize documents by categories such as policies, project proposals, meeting minutes, and educational materials.

·???????? Lists: Create lists for tracking AI projects, stakeholder engagements, and task assignments.

·???????? Pages: Develop pages for sharing the AI Council's vision, mission, updates, and news.

·???????? Workflows: Implement workflows to automate approval processes for AI projects and policy changes.

·???????? Integrations: Integrate with Microsoft Teams to provide seamless access to documents and resources from within Teams channels.

7. Best Practices: Teams Experience vs. SharePoint Site Collection

When setting up your environment, consider the following best practices:

·???????? Create Teams Experience First: Start by creating a Teams experience if your primary goal is to facilitate real-time communication and collaboration. Teams provide a user-friendly interface for chats, meetings, and task management, making it easier for members to interact and stay engaged.

·???????? Create SharePoint Site Collection First: Opt for a SharePoint Site Collection if your main focus is on document management, structured data storage, and process automation. SharePoint offers robust features for organizing and managing large volumes of documents and integrating workflows.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your organization's priorities and the specific needs of your AI Council. In many cases, a hybrid approach that leverages both Teams and SharePoint can provide the best of both worlds, ensuring efficient communication and comprehensive document management.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a structured and efficient Microsoft Teams environment to support your AI Council initiative. This setup will facilitate communication, collaboration, and documentation, ensuring that your AI Council operates effectively and aligns your AI strategy with your organization's vision, values, and goals.

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