📄 Clause 10 – Improvement

Making AI Governance a Living System

Clause 10 of ISO 42001 is all about continuous improvement. Unlike earlier clauses that focus on planning, assessing, or reviewing, Clause 10 ensures the AI Management System (AIMS) doesn’t remain static. Instead, it requires organizations to constantly adapt, correct, and improve their governance of AI systems.

In simple terms: Don’t just fix problems—get better every day.

✅ What Clause 10 Requires

Organizations must:

Identify nonconformities – Gaps, failures, or risks that deviate from AIMS requirements.
Take corrective action – Address the root cause, not just the symptom.
Continually improve – Seek opportunities to enhance suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the AIMS.

This applies not only to compliance failures but also to missed opportunities for improving AI transparency, fairness, or performance.

🔎 Key Steps to Demonstrate Improvement

Corrective Actions: For each issue, record what happened, why it happened, and how it will be prevented in the future.
Root Cause Analysis: Tools like “5 Whys” or fishbone diagrams help go beyond surface-level fixes.
Opportunities for Improvement (OFIs): Encourage employees and stakeholders to suggest ways to strengthen AI governance.
Evidence of Change: Keep records that show how actions improved the AIMS.

🧠 Why Improvement is Vital for AI Governance

AI is not static — models drift, new risks appear, and regulations evolve. Without improvement mechanisms:

Risks may reappear in new forms
Compliance can quickly become outdated
Trust from users and regulators may erode

Clause 10 ensures your AIMS is resilient, adaptive, and future-proof.

🛠️ Implementation Tips

Create a clear nonconformity log that tracks findings from audits, monitoring, and incidents.
Review corrective actions during management reviews to ensure closure and effectiveness.
Promote a culture of reporting where issues are seen as opportunities, not blame.
Align improvements with organizational goals like innovation, ethics, or customer trust.

🔍 Pro Tip

Treat “improvement” as a cycle: Plan → Act → Review → Improve → Repeat. Small, consistent upgrades to your AIMS will yield long-term governance maturity.

In tomorrow’s article by Kimova.AI, we’ll explore Annex A controls, starting with A.5 – Policies for AI Governance, and see how ISO 42001 translates principles into actionable practices.

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