Academy module 6 · ISO/IEC 42001 · Lesson 6 of 8
Manage AI suppliers and shared responsibilities
About 12 minutes · Introductory draft · Checked 2026-10-24
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Picture the topic
Remember this: A supplier’s capability claim is not your operating acceptance decision.
Explore the anchors
Define intended use duties and change expectations.
Concept matching activity
Match this task or description to its concept:
Evaluate relevant evidence and limitations.
Choose a concept before checking the explanation.
A quick way to study this topic
- Hide the explanation and redraw these three anchors from memory.
- Explain the difference between the anchors in your own words.
- Apply the distinction to the worked example below. Check the full lesson for assumptions and exceptions.
- Recall it again tomorrow, then after a few days. A memory hint is a retrieval cue, not a replacement for understanding.
Original academy illustrations and fictional exercises. These are learning simulations, not a real virtual machine, network assessment or measure of job readiness. Activities reset when you leave or reload; they do not change quiz scores.
What you will learn
- Define intended use duties and change expectations.
- Evaluate relevant evidence and limitations.
- Maintain customer-owned controls and exit readiness.
Concepts and distinctions
AI supply chains can include model providers, data suppliers, integration platforms and downstream users. Define responsibilities for intended use, data handling, evaluation information, incident coordination, changes and support. The organization may have limited visibility into a supplier’s internals, so assurance should identify what is known, what is contractually available and what remains uncertain.
A supplier’s certification or test report has a scope and period. It does not automatically approve the customer’s prompt configuration, connected tools, data choices or consequential use. Shared responsibilities should be explicit enough that important work does not fall between parties. Consider what happens when a service changes, becomes unavailable or no longer meets the intended conditions.
Apply the process and collect evidence
Perform proportionate due diligence and document the acceptance decision. Test customer-controlled configuration and integration boundaries, maintain notification routes, and review significant provider changes. Plan data export, replacement and access removal before an urgent exit is required. Do not infer rights to confidential supplier data merely because the organization wants stronger evidence.
Supplier evidence, communication and audit procedures
Outsourcing a model does not remove the organization’s responsibility for its intended use and management-system commitments. Establish which supplier evidence is accessible, its scope and date, what changes are communicated, and how unresolved gaps are handled. A supplier certificate for a different service or excluded location cannot establish conformity of the current deployment. Document dependencies and limitations instead of assuming a contract transfers every obligation.
Use controlled procedures for interviews, record requests, tests and communication. Explain a potential finding against its criterion, invite factual corrections and record disagreement respectfully. Do not disclose one supplier’s confidential records to another. A remote audit may need secure screen sharing, limited-access exports and follow-up observation. If essential evidence cannot be obtained, report the limitation and its effect on conclusions; do not convert missing visibility into a positive assurance statement.
Work through a scenario
Fictional facts for learning. This exercise is not scored.
A model-service vendor changes versions automatically. The contract says little about notification, while the customer relies on stable output characteristics for a business workflow.
Compare your reasoning
Assess the dependency, negotiate or configure suitable change visibility where possible, and define customer monitoring and revalidation triggers. Record any accepted limitations and consider alternatives if required assurance cannot be obtained.
Remember
- A supplier’s capability claim is not your operating acceptance decision.
- Define intended use duties and change expectations.
- Maintain customer-owned controls and exit readiness.
Orientation and further reading
Original examples and explanations. Background references do not establish complete exam coverage.
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