Where neither mitigation techniques nor mandatory human review fully address the identified bias, the AISDP documents the residual bias and the deployment restrictions or risk acceptance applied.

Deployment restrictions limit the system’s use to contexts where the residual bias is acceptable. A system that performs unfairly for a specific geographic population may be restricted to deployment only in regions where the data is representative. A system with insufficient data for reliable fairness assessment on a particular intersectional subgroup may be restricted to advisory use only (with mandatory human decision-making) for cases involving that subgroup. Restrictions are documented in the Instructions for Use (AISDP Module 8) so that deployers understand the system’s limitations.

Residual bias acceptance is a formal decision by the AI Governance Lead, documented with a signed acceptance record. The record specifies the nature of the residual bias (which subgroups, which metrics, what magnitude), the mitigations attempted and their measured effectiveness, the compensating controls in place, the residual risk level, and the conditions under which the acceptance would be revisited (such as availability of additional data, new mitigation techniques, or changes in the deployment context).

The residual bias acceptance is not a permanent decision. It is revisited at each scheduled risk review and whenever post-market monitoring reveals material changes in the fairness profile. If the residual bias worsens, or if new mitigation options become available, the acceptance is reassessed.

Key outputs

• Deployment restriction specification (where applicable)
• Residual bias acceptance record (signed by AI Governance Lead)
• Review schedule and reassessment triggers