Assurance Actors as Intermediaries in AI Risk Governance

Emerging technologies present risks that can spur demand for assurances about the assessment and management of these risks. These ex ante or ex post assurances can be tightly scoped risk audits or broader impact assessments that evidence risks have been considered and managed with a degree of care and diligence. The article comparatively examines the supply of assurances about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Using the lens of regulatory intermediaries and novel datasets, it characterizes and assesses the field of assurance actors in AI risk governance, focusing on how generalist and specialist assurance actors are practicing and advocating for specific types of intermediations.