Explain like I'm five · AI Security

What is AI Governance?

AI governance, told as a story about a rules board that several kitchens share — spelling out how AI gets used and handled.

kitchen #1kitchen #2kitchen #3whose fault is this, exactly?each kitchen takes guests its own way

Each kitchen runs its own way.And when something goes wrong, nobody knows whose fault it is.

did I decide this…?just do it, ask laterthe standard is different in every kitchenwithout a written common rule, who decides and who's responsible keeps changing

Without a written common rule, it's different every time.Who decides and who's responsible shifts from kitchen to kitchen, moment to moment.

KITCHEN RULES BOARDwho approveswhen a person checkswho's responsible if it breakshow often it's revieweda kitchen rules board sets the whole policy and accountability system for how AI is used

A kitchen rules board is the whole policy and accountability system for how AI gets used and handled.One board, and it spells out approval, checks, responsibility, and review — all in one place.

Who approves whatclearly names the decision-maker
When a person checkswhen the approval gate switches on
Who's responsible if it breakswhat follows the incident bell
How often it's reviewedthe board itself can go stale
RULES BOARDhuman approval gatered team scheduleincident procedureaudit log retentionapproval gatered teamincident · auditeach piece works on its own, but the board ties them all together

One board ties several devices together.The approval gate, the red team, incident response, the audit log — each works on its own, but the board weaves them into one.

RULES BOARD — ON THE WALLalways get approval to payit works when it's followeddidn't look at the board, just paidlike the inspector from the neighboring kingdom, the board also needs ongoing checks that it's actually followed

Having a board doesn't help if nobody follows it.Like the inspector from the neighboring kingdom, it also needs ongoing proof that it's actually being followed.

In one breath

AI governance is a single rules board that spells out how this kitchen uses and handles AI — who approves it, and who's responsible.

AI governance is the policy and accountability framework an organization uses to decide how it develops, deploys, and operates AI systems. It writes down who has approval authority, where human checks are required, who's accountable when an incident happens, and how often things get reviewed — so it applies consistently across teams and models. It's the larger frame that individual mechanisms, like a single approval gate, live inside.

When grown-ups say it

AI governance
The kitchen rules board. The overview of this whole field. → What is AI Security?
Human approval gate
The owner's final sign-off. One device the board decides when to use. → What is a human approval gate?
Compliance
The inspector from the neighboring kingdom. Checks with evidence that the board matches outside standards. → What is Compliance?
AI red team
The inspector's surprise visit. Exactly what the board lists as the red team schedule. → What is an AI Red Team?
Safety evaluation
The tasting test before opening. Re-run on the review cycle the board sets. → What is a safety evaluation?
The incident bell
The bell that rings when something goes wrong. The scene the board writes down as who's responsible if it breaks.
The order logbook
The logbook where the audit trail is kept. The logbook opened whenever the board's review cycle comes around.
Least privilege
Handing over only the keys that are needed. The groundwork laid before the board even decides who approves. → What is least privilege?
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