context-of-use
What It Means
Context-of-use describes the real-world conditions where your AI system actually operates - who uses it, what they're trying to accomplish, what tools and constraints they have, and the organizational environment surrounding them. It's the difference between how you think your AI will be used versus how people actually use it in their daily work.
Why Chief AI Officers Care
Misunderstanding context-of-use leads to AI deployments that fail in production despite working perfectly in testing. Users may work around your AI system in unexpected ways, introducing new risks or compliance violations you didn't anticipate. Getting context right upfront prevents costly redesigns and ensures your AI delivers actual business value rather than becoming shelf-ware.
Real-World Example
A healthcare AI diagnostic tool designed for radiologists in well-lit, quiet reading rooms gets deployed to emergency departments where nurses use it on mobile devices under fluorescent lights while handling multiple patients and frequent interruptions - leading to misclicks, rushed decisions, and different interpretation patterns than originally intended.
Common Confusion
People often confuse context-of-use with technical requirements or user personas. Context-of-use is broader - it includes the messy reality of organizational politics, time pressures, and competing priorities that shape how people actually interact with your AI system.
Industry-Specific Applications
See how this term applies to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, tech, and insurance.
Healthcare: In healthcare, context-of-use analysis reveals critical gaps between intended AI deployment and actual clinical workflow...
Finance: In finance, context-of-use analysis is critical for AI systems handling trading decisions, credit scoring, or regulatory...
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Includes:
- 6 industry-specific applications
- Relevant regulations by sector
- Real compliance scenarios
- Implementation guidance
Technical Definitions
NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology
"The Context of Use is the actual conditions under which a given artifact/software product is used, or will be used in a normal day to day working situation. "Source: interaction_context_2023
"comprises a combination of users, goals, tasks, resources, and the technical, physical and social, cultural and organizational environments in which a system, product or service is used[; ...] can include the interactions and interdependencies between the object of interest and other systems, products or services."Source: ISO_9241-11:2018
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