Module 04 · 12 minutes
Risk Tiers
Set the risk level, mitigations, owner, monitoring, and response when an incident occurs.
Written and edited by Cahyanto Arie Wibowo. Last reviewed · version 1.2.
What does “Risk Tiers” mean in practice?
A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better. Test Risk Tiers on one small case first. Record the expected result, the failure signal, and the point where the decision needs another review. You will make one small decision with Risk Tiers, including a boundary and a signal that triggers another check.
After this lesson
- A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better.
- Use the idea of “Risk Tiers” to interpret one realistic situation.
- Explain the limits of the concept and the information that still needs to be checked.
Start with the situation
Understand the situation first. The label can come later.
Someone must own the remaining risk. Recording it in a document is not enough. This lesson uses the idea of “Risk Tiers” to examine that situation without treating a single term as the answer to every problem.
A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better. Set the risk level, mitigations, owner, monitoring, and response when an incident occurs. Connect the term to a decision someone genuinely needs to make.
See how the decision unfolds
Move from the situation to a choice others can review.
01
Situation
Someone must own the remaining risk. Recording it in a document is not enough. This lesson uses the idea of “Risk Tiers” to examine that situation without treating a single term as the answer to every problem.
02
Decision
Someone must own the remaining risk. Recording it in a document is not enough. Identify the part of the situation most closely connected to the idea of “Risk Tiers”. Use the case as a thinking tool, not as proof that one solution fits every context.
03
Review
A checklist without clear decision rights does not create governance. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.
Visual model
Map the parts before choosing what to do.
Read the diagram as a map of Risk Tiers: begin with the context, follow the connections, and inspect the highlighted point before making a decision.
Do not rush the choice
Two ways to look at Risk Tiers
Useful when
- A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better.
- Use the idea of “Risk Tiers” to interpret one realistic situation.
- A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better. Set the risk level, mitigations, owner, monitoring, and response when an incident occurs. Connect the term to a decision someone genuinely needs to make.
Pause and check
- A checklist without clear decision rights does not create governance. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.
- Explain the limits of the concept and the information that still needs to be checked.
The stronger choice is the one whose evidence, owner, and limits can be explained, not simply the more sophisticated option.
A tempting shortcut
A familiar term can still lead us to the wrong decision.
Why this can seem reasonable
A checklist without clear decision rights does not create governance. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.
How to check it
Test Risk Tiers on one small case first. Record the expected result, the failure signal, and the point where the decision needs another review. Begin with what can be observed, then separate facts, assumptions, and open questions.
Pause for a moment
What evidence could change this decision?
Answer before opening the discussion. Name one fact and one assumption.
Open the discussion
A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better. Test Risk Tiers on one small case first. Record the expected result, the failure signal, and the point where the decision needs another review. You will make one small decision with Risk Tiers, including a boundary and a signal that triggers another check.
Try it on your work
Try it with one small piece of real work.
- Choose one real situation related to Risk Tiers.
- Separate what you can observe from what you are assuming.
- Write one decision, its owner, and the evidence needed to review it.
- Name the signal that would make you stop or change direction.
Write two examples that fit Risk Tiers and one that does not. Explain the difference in your own words. The larger module activity is: Review one case and decide whether to proceed, revise, restrict, or stop. Keep the first version small enough for another person to review in a few minutes.
Quick practice
Write two examples that fit Risk Tiers and one that does not. Explain the difference in your own words. The larger module activity is: Review one case and decide whether to proceed, revise, restrict, or stop.
Summary
- A small AI Ethics case shows where Risk Tiers is useful and where a simpler approach may be better.
- Use examples and evidence to test your understanding.
- Record the limits, risks, and conditions that should trigger another review.
Continue from here
- Mitigation and Ownership: Continue the idea from Responsible AI in Practice with a closely related example.
- Policies and Risk Tiers: Connect this lesson to Leadership and test the idea in another context.
- Inclusion and Surveillance: See how the same decision changes when viewed through Future of Work.
Sources and further reading
- AI Risk Management Framework Playbook: NIST · official-framework. Primary reference for the definition, evidence, or limits discussed in “Risk Tiers”.
- European approach to artificial intelligence: European Commission · official-policy. Further evidence and context for checking the explanation in “Risk Tiers”.
- OECD AI Principles: OECD.AI · official-principles. Further evidence and context for checking the explanation in “Risk Tiers”.