Incident Response Playbook (AI Context)

Incident Response Playbook (AI Context)

Zen AI Governance — Knowledge Base Templates & Toolkits Updated 20 Nov 2025 www.zenaigovernance.com ↗

Incident Response Playbook — Artificial Intelligence Context

ISO 42001 / EU AI Act Template AI Incident Management
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Key takeaways
  • Structured 5-phase process: Detection → Triage → Containment → Resolution → Review.
  • Integrates ISO 42001 corrective action and EU AI Act Article 62 serious incident reporting.
  • Incident classification aligns with risk tiers, impact severity, and regulatory triggers.

Purpose & Scope

The AI Incident Response Playbook ensures that every AI-related malfunction, breach, or non-compliance event is handled systematically and documented end-to-end. It applies to all AI systems under Zen AI Governance’s AIMS, whether internal or client-deployed, across pre-deployment, live operation, and post-market monitoring stages.

Incident Classification Matrix

SeverityDescriptionResponse SLARegulatory Reporting
SEV-1 CriticalAI causes or could cause harm to safety, rights, or compliance breach.Immediate (≤ 1h)EU AI Act Art 62: Report ≤ 15 days
SEV-2 MajorSignificant operational disruption or risk to fairness, privacy, or bias exposure.4 hoursEscalate internally; regulator if systemic
SEV-3 ModerateContained event with no external impact but requires correction.24 hoursRecord internally only
SEV-4 MinorObservation or near miss; training or procedural improvement.72 hoursInclude in audit trail

Incident Response Process Flow

  1. Detection: Identify anomaly via monitoring tools, user reports, or governance audits.
  2. Triage: Classify severity using the matrix above and assign Incident Commander (IC).
  3. Containment: Stop affected process, isolate model/API, revoke API tokens if needed.
  4. Resolution: Conduct RCA (Root Cause Analysis) using Fishbone / 5-Whys, implement CAPA.
  5. Post-Incident Review: Conduct debrief; update risk registers, PMM logs, and retraining plans.

Roles & Responsibilities

RoleResponsibilities
Incident Commander (IC)Leads response, authorises containment, and coordinates teams.
AI Ethics OfficerAssesses human rights or fairness implications.
ML Ops LeadExecutes technical rollback or hotfixes.
Legal/DPOEvaluates data protection & legal notification obligations.
Comms ManagerHandles internal/external communications.
Audit LeadLinks incident record to evidence repository (EV-IDs).

Communications & Escalation

  • Internal: Notify Governance Slack Channel + Desk ticket within 30 min.
  • External: Regulator / authority (EU AI Act Art 62) ≤ 15 days; Data subjects if required (GDPR Art 34).
  • Comms templates:
    • Subject: “[AI Incident] SEV-[x] – [System Name] – [Short Summary]”
    • Body: Include nature, impact, containment, resolution ETA, and DPO contact.

Templates & Reporting Forms

Incident_ID,Severity,System,Detected_By,Detection_Date,Description,Impact,Containment_Action,Root_Cause,Corrective_Action,Preventive_Action,Owner,Status,Report_Due,Evidence_ID,Closure_Date

All incident records are logged in the Firestore “incidents” collection and mirrored nightly to Drive under /Evidence/Incident_Reports/.

Framework Alignment

FrameworkReferenceRelevance
ISO/IEC 42001§10.2Corrective & preventive action process for nonconformities.
NIST AI RMFManage FunctionOperational incident management and resilience.
EU AI ActArticles 62–65Serious incident definition, reporting, and CAPA linkage.
UK DSIT AI PrinciplesPrinciple 6Ensures accountability and transparency in AI failures.

Implementation Checklist

  • ✅ AI Incident Response Policy approved by the Governance Board.
  • ✅ Incident matrix configured in Zoho Desk or internal portal.
  • ✅ Incident Commander roster and contact matrix up-to-date.
  • ✅ Automated linkage between incident records, CAPA tracker, and evidence repository established.
  • ✅ Monthly tabletop drill conducted and documented.

© Zen AI Governance UK Ltd • Regulatory Knowledge • v1 20 Nov 2025 • This page is general guidance, not legal advice.

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