AI Certification Glossary
Trust depends on words meaning something precise.
These working definitions explain how Clause5afe uses core certification, governance, monitoring, framework, and public-verification terms without turning shorthand into a broader claim than the evidence supports.
Reference definitions
Read the term in the context where it is used.
A Registry status, certification decision, policy rule, and framework relationship may each carry additional scope or version information in the controlling record.
Definition group
Certification and evidence
The terms that define what is examined, what is decided, and what the resulting claim covers.
- Assessment or evaluation
- A structured examination of in-scope evidence against defined criteria. An assessment can support a certification decision but does not, by itself, issue or guarantee certification.
- Certification
- A third-party attestation produced through an independent decision that a defined AI system and scope satisfy the applicable Clause5afe certification requirements based on the evidence examined.
- Certification decision
- The controlled determination made by authorized decision authority after evaluation and independent review. Commercial personnel, a client, a monitoring signal, or a single evaluator cannot substitute for that decision.
- Certification scope
- The specific AI system, organization, version, deployment context, use, boundaries, exclusions, and applicable obligations covered by the certification record.
- Qualified evidence
- Information accepted as relevant, reliable, sufficiently attributable, and appropriate to support evaluation of an in-scope requirement. Evidence may come from multiple approved sources and remains subject to judgment.
- Finding
- A documented evidence-based conclusion that an in-scope requirement, control, or obligation is not fully satisfied or requires a defined certification treatment. Findings are classified under the governing methodology.
Definition group
Lifecycle and status
The terms that govern what happens after initial evaluation and how a certification can change over time.
- Continuous monitoring
- The continuing collection or review of approved operational, technical, governance, change, or status signals during a certification period. Monitoring produces evidence; it does not make the certification decision automatically.
- Material change
- A planned or discovered change that may affect certification validity, scope, controls, evidence, deployment, obligations, or the basis of the prior decision and therefore may require notification and review.
- Re-assessment
- A later evidence review focused on defined findings, changes, or another controlled trigger. Re-assessment is separately scoped and does not promise a favorable result.
- Re-certification
- A new certification cycle used to determine whether a system should receive a new certification decision for a later period, version, or scope under the then-applicable requirements.
- Suspension
- A controlled temporary restriction on certification status or permitted claims while a defined issue, condition, or review remains unresolved. Final public wording follows the approved status policy and Registry model.
- Withdrawal
- A controlled end to a certification or certification request initiated through the applicable process, with resulting mark-use and Registry treatment governed by the approved documents.
- Revocation
- A controlled termination of certification status by Clause5afe under the governing criteria, with public status and mark-use consequences recorded through the approved Registry process.
- Expiration
- The end of the stated certification validity period when no later decision extends or replaces the record. An expired certificate is not proof of current active status.
Definition group
Governance and challenge
The terms that separate certification authority from commercial influence and make concerns reviewable.
- Appeal
- A formal challenge by a person or organization with standing to an eligible certification decision on a recognized ground under the Appeals Policy.
- Complaint
- A concern about Clause5afe conduct, personnel, certification activity, public representation, impartiality, mark use, or another covered matter. A complaint is not automatically an appeal.
- Impartiality
- The condition in which certification work and decisions are protected from commercial, financial, ownership, personal, vendor, or other influence that could compromise or reasonably appear to compromise independent judgment.
- Conflict of interest
- An interest, relationship, duty, incentive, or circumstance that may impair, influence, or create a reasonable perception of influence over certification activity or governance responsibility.
- External assessor
- A qualified person or organization engaged to perform authorized certification work under Clause5afe competence, confidentiality, security, independence, supervision, and consulting-firewall controls.
Definition group
Framework relationships
The controlled language used to describe how Clause5afe criteria relate to external laws, standards, and governance sources.
- Mapped
- A documented relationship has been established between an external requirement or concept and one or more Clause5afe criteria, evidence expectations, or controls. Mapping alone is not proof that the external requirement is satisfied.
- Aligned
- The relevant Clause5afe criteria and evidence model are substantively consistent with an identified external objective or requirement within a defined context. Alignment is not external certification or regulatory approval.
- Assessed
- Applicable mapped requirements were included in the actual system-specific evidence review. The term describes work performed, not blanket compliance with an entire external source.
- Coverage-defined
- The applicable requirements, exclusions, evidence boundaries, source version, and scope of the framework relationship are explicitly stated so the coverage claim can be evaluated rather than inferred from a number.
Definition group
Public verification
The terms that connect a certificate or mark to the authoritative public record.
- Certification ID
- A stable identifier assigned to a certification record and used to locate the authoritative Registry entry, certificate, badge, or verification route.
- Public Registry
- The read-only public publication layer for approved certification fields, current status, scope, validity, and related verification information. It is separate from private certification evidence and deliberations.
- Certification mark or badge
- A controlled Clause5afe trust mark licensed for accurate use within the certified scope and status. A copied image is not authoritative proof; valid use resolves to the current Registry record.
- Authoritative record
- The controlled source that governs the current public certification claim. For public verification, the approved Registry record takes precedence over a copied badge, screenshot, marketing statement, or standalone certificate file.
Authority and interpretation
The controlling record wins.
If a glossary definition conflicts with an approved policy, agreement, certification record, or later controlled definition, the applicable controlling document governs. The public site should then be corrected through document control.