AI portfolio arbitration
A prohibited, intolerable or unknown condition does not become acceptable because an average is high. It must be resolved before any ranking.
A gate asks whether an option may enter the arbitration. A criterion asks which admissible option is preferred. Mixing the two allows a secondary benefit to offset a limit that was never meant to be compensated.
A general phrase such as “acceptable risk” cannot be tested. The gate names the object, condition, evidence, person qualifying it and authority deciding the effect.
| Field | Question | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Condition | Which fact opens or closes the gate? | Observable state and scope |
| Evidence | Which item supports the conclusion? | Source, date, version and limitation |
| Authority | Who may accept or refuse? | Name, role and delegation |
| Effect | What happens if it fails? | Stop, defer or reframe |
| Reopening | What permits reassessment? | Expected evidence and owner |
Missing evidence is not a pass. It preserves uncertainty and prevents the option from receiving a ranking presented as decision-ready.
The following families structure the examination without creating universal thresholds. Their wording depends on the use, sector, affected people and approved tolerance.
| Family | Example condition | Possible effect |
|---|---|---|
| Admissibility | Prohibited use or undefined purpose | Stop or reframe |
| Impacts | Residual risk outside tolerance | Stop or reduce scope |
| Data | Right to use critical data not established | Defer |
| Operation | No practicable fallback capability | Defer or reframe |
| Resources | Mandatory cost or time constraint not met | Remove from the current frame |
Order and evidence level remain the same for every candidate. The log retains initial states, examined evidence and every exception.
An option returns when the expected evidence exists, the condition is reassessed and the authority confirms the new status. Renaming the option, artificially narrowing the risk or increasing another score does not reopen anything.
The register connects option, gate, status, evidence, authority, effect, rationale and reopening condition. A committee can distinguish a preference choice from a legal, ethical, technical or operating impossibility.
Primary sources
Last documentary review: 7 September 2026.
Value functions, swing weighting, decision conferencing, sensitivity and ranking robustness.
Swing weighting, sensitivity analysis, switching values and the warning against simple weighted scoring.
Govern, map, measure and manage the risks of an AI system.
Assessing the impacts of an AI system on individuals, groups and society.
Before you write to us
A gate establishes whether an option may enter the ranking. A criterion compares options that are already admissible. A failed gate cannot be offset by a better value elsewhere.
The condition is neither satisfied nor disproved. The option remains outside the ranking until the expected evidence is produced and qualified.
Yes, on new evidence defined in advance, followed by a fresh qualification and a decision by the competent authority — never through sponsor pressure alone.
Decision gates
Present the mandatory constraints and available evidence. We separate what can be compared from what must be resolved first.
Review the gates