AI Inventory
A live register of every AI system, model, and third-party AI tool in use across the enterprise.
What is AI Inventory?
An AI inventory (sometimes “AI system register”) is the prerequisite for any compliance program. You cannot classify risk, run a DPIA/FRIA, or report to regulators without a baseline of what exists. The AI Inventory & Shadow AI Discovery use case explains how to build one across code repos, document stores, and collaboration tools.
What is an example of AI Inventory?
A procurement chatbot may appear as one inventory item, but its record should also identify the external model API, document index, tool integrations, business owner, personal-data use, evaluation results, and regions where processing occurs.
How is AI Inventory different from related concepts?
An AI inventory records what the organization uses and how it is governed. A model registry is narrower: it tracks model artifacts, versions, and technical deployment metadata.
What should enterprises evaluate for AI Inventory?
- Combine questionnaires with discovery across expense data, identity logs, network traffic, code repositories, and vendor contracts.
- Assign accountable owners and review dates; an ownerless record is a finding, not a completed inventory item.
- Link inventory records to risk assessments, incidents, controls, evidence, and retirement decisions.
Related terms
Authoritative sources
Primary sources for the formal meaning, requirements, or original research behind AI Inventory:
Putting AI Inventory to work?
VDF AI runs governed AI agents on your own infrastructure — on-premises, sovereign cloud, or air-gapped. Book a working session to map the architecture.
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