Policy Layer
Core conceptThe documented governance commitments, framework references, and procedural controls that describe what should happen when AI systems operate.
Policy is necessary. Regulators require it; ISO 42001 is built around it; MAS's proposed AIRG Guidelines express their governance expectations through it. But policy describes what humans should do. A technical control enforces what the system can do. Treating one as a substitute for the other is the most common governance failure Aivance encounters.
How to recognise the gap
Read through your AI governance controls. How many require a person to actively act before they take effect? Those are policy layer controls. Enforcement layer controls operate regardless of whether the human acts.
This definition reflects how Aivance uses the term in engagements and deliverables. Where regulatory frameworks use overlapping but distinct terminology, the relevant framework definition applies in compliance contexts.
Governance built on precise terms.
Every Aivance engagement produces specific, auditable outputs. The 30-Minute Enforcement Gap Diagnosis is free, with the same precision: one call, one missing control, one diagnosis on Aivance letterhead within 48 hours.
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