Terms and definitions · 3
Terms and definitions
This is the operative clause for most readers. It defines 117 terms in seven groups covering AI, data, machine learning, neural networks, trustworthiness, natural language processing and computer vision. A term used in another SC 42 standard is meant to carry this meaning.
What this clause settles
The clause matters because it decides how the rest of the vocabulary is read. The page keeps the claim level visible: a concept clause is not a requirement clause, and a definition is not a control. For Terms and definitions, the page keeps the claim level "terms and definitions" visible and says where the public text stops.
Who it binds
The organisation that adopts the vocabulary. The clause is not a shall requirement; the claim level states what it is.
What to do in your practice
Put the clause title and the citation in the policy map, then test the policy against the terms it covers. The test is a reading of the firm's own documents, not a certification. Start with the artefacts that cite Terms and definitions and work outwards.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
- A policy map that names Terms and definitions and the clause it comes from.Shows that Terms and definitions was read and placed, not merely cited.
- A controlled vocabulary register for the entries in Terms and definitions, with an owner and a review date.An auditor asks who keeps the Terms and definitions entries current, not only whether they exist.
- One live artefact that uses a term from Terms and definitions correctly, with the date it was checked.Connects Terms and definitions to the work rather than to a shelf document.
Common gaps this page catches
- Terms and definitions is cited without the entries behind it, so the citation cannot be tested.
- A team has built a local vocabulary beside the standard and the two are now reconciled by memory rather than by a register.
What to prepare before the amendment lands
Take Terms and definitions into the next review, list the artefacts that rely on it and give each a named owner. The Terms and definitions list is the plan; the owner is the control.
How to test it here
Take one live artefact rather than a template, find the sentence or field where Terms and definitions is used, and put this page beside it. Record the answer, the artefact and the date, because that record is the evidence and a glossary entry on its own is only an intention.
What this page does not claim
The page does not reproduce the standard, certify the firm or predict the wording the amendment will use; it states Terms and definitions at the claim level "terms and definitions" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does Terms and definitions mean in ISO 22989?
- This is the operative clause for most readers. It defines 117 terms in seven groups covering AI, data, machine learning, neural networks, trustworthiness, natural language processing and computer vision. A term used in another SC 42 standard is meant to carry this meaning.
- What evidence should we keep for 3?
- A policy map that names Terms and definitions and the clause it comes from. A controlled vocabulary register for the entries in Terms and definitions, with an owner and a review date.
- Is Terms and definitions a requirement?
- No: Terms and definitions is a definition or clause of a terminology standard, and it becomes binding only when a firm writes it into a policy, a contract or a procedure, or when another standard incorporates it.
Related units
Source. ISO/IEC 22989:2022, Clause 3. Open the ISO public entry. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec:22989:ed-1:v1:en
ISO catalogue record 88145, the amendment status, stage and dates. Catalogue record 74296, the base standard.
Claim level: terms and definitions. All 117 entries are in the public preview.
Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your vocabulary