Acronyms and abbreviations
The clause fixes the short forms, principally AIS, and keeps the rest of the document readable without a decoder.
What clause 3.2 asks
The clause lists the acronyms and abbreviations used in the standard. The central one is AIS, the autonomous intelligent system that most clauses address. The list also covers the short forms used in the design and evaluation material, such as the user interface and the user experience. The purpose is consistency: a reader should not have to work out whether AI system, algorithmic system and AIS are the same thing in a given sentence.
Why it matters
Acronym discipline looks minor until a document is read by a procurer, a regulator or a new team member. The standard uses AIS for the system in scope, and the distinction between an algorithmic system and an autonomous intelligent system matters in clause 4 and clause 9. A team that uses the short forms loosely will produce a register that cannot be tested against the clause.
What good looks like
Publish the acronym list with the glossary. Use the full term at first use in every document, then the short form. Do not invent a new short form for an internal team. If the organization uses AI system in its own policy, record that it maps to AIS for the purpose of the standard, and use one term in the evidence.
Evidence an assessor asks for
The assessor will not test the acronym list directly, but inconsistent terms make the clause evidence ambiguous, and ambiguity usually costs the organization the benefit of the doubt.
- Acronym list The short forms used in the programme, with the full term and the first-use rule
- Document check A sample of clause documents checked for consistent use
- Map note The organization's own term mapped to the standard's term
Where it commonly fails
- AIS, AI system and algorithmic system are used interchangeably in the same register
- A document defines its own acronyms differently from the standard
- The short form appears before the full term
What to do before publication
Add the acronym list to the document template. It takes ten minutes and prevents a class of review comments.