05.5 Assessing societal impacts of AI systems

The organisation shall assess and document the potential societal impacts This control is essential for maintaining governance and ensuring that AI systems are managed responsibly. It should be applied consistently across all relevant organisational processes and reviewed periodically to remain effective.

Business Requirement The purpose of this control is to safeguard organisational integrity, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and to promote trustworthiness in AI systems. It ensures that risks are mitigated and that the organisation’s objectives for responsible AI use are achieved.

Societal impacts can vary widely depending on the organisation’s context and the types of AI systems. The societal impacts of AI systems can be both beneficial and detrimental. Examples of these potential societal impacts can include: — environment sustainability (including the impacts on natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions); — economic (including access to financial services, employment opportunities, taxes, trade and commerce); — government (including legislative processes, misinformation for political gain, national security and criminal justice systems); — health and safety (including access to healthcare, medical diagnosis and treatment, and potential physical and psychological harms); — norms, traditions, culture and values (including misinformation that leads to biases or harms to individuals or groups of individuals, or both, and societies). Organisations should implement this control by establishing clear procedures, assigning responsibilities, and maintaining accurate documentation. Practical steps include integrating this control into existing governance frameworks, training relevant personnel, and monitoring compliance through regular audits.