Terms related to AI · 3.1.17
inference
the reasoning step that reaches conclusions from premises already known
What this term settles
The entry is short because it is meant to travel. It gives inference one meaning that can be quoted in a policy without a second interpretation layer.
Who it binds
A definition binds nobody on its own, so the force of inference comes only from the reader who adopts it in a policy, a contract, a data schema or an assurance argument.
What to do in your practice
Map the places inference appears in policy, procurement and system records. Where the word is used without the entry behind it, add the citation or replace the sentence.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
- A controlled vocabulary entry for inference with the citation 3.1.17, an owner and a review date.An auditor can check that inference is controlled rather than assumed.
- An AI system inventory field that records the entry for each system, with its owner. The row names inference.Shows inference in use in the artefact the firm relies on, not only in a glossary.
- A policy or procedure sentence that uses the entry in this sense. The record carries the inference entry and its date.The policy borrows the word but not the boundary, so a supplier system and an in-house model are treated as the same kind of thing. The gap is tested against inference.
Common gaps this page catches
- inference is used in the AI vocabulary a policy reaches for first without a written definition, so two teams can mean different things.
- A local synonym has grown up beside inference and the two are now used interchangeably.
What to prepare before the amendment lands
Put inference on the agenda of the next AI governance meeting with two questions: where is it used, and what would show it is used correctly? Record the answers as actions.
How to test it here
Take one live artefact rather than a template, find the sentence or field where inference 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 inference at the claim level "definition" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does inference mean in ISO 22989?
- the reasoning step that reaches conclusions from premises already known
- What evidence should we keep for 3.1.17?
- A controlled vocabulary entry for inference with the citation 3.1.17, an owner and a review date. An AI system inventory field that records the entry for each system, with its owner. The row names inference.
- Is inference a requirement?
- No: inference 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 3.1.17, Terms and definitions. 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: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text.
Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your vocabulary