Qualitative Assessment
The subjective review of AI system behaviors, decisions, and documentation by experts to identify ethical, legal, or reputational concerns not captured quantitatively.
Definition
Complements quantitative metrics with expert judgment—ethics panels, legal reviews, user-experience studies—to uncover issues like cultural insensitivity, deceptive UX patterns, or legal ambiguities. Governance embeds qualitative assessments at key milestones (design, pilot, post-release), documents findings in review reports, and tracks remediation actions to address narrative or contextual risks beyond what metrics capture.
Real-World Example
During design of a facial-recognition tool, a panel of legal and civil-rights experts conducts a qualitative assessment—identifying potential misuse for unauthorized surveillance. Based on their feedback, the vendor adds explicit user-consent flows and strict audit-logging, rather than relying solely on accuracy and bias metrics.
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