developer
What It Means
A developer is any person or organization that creates, builds, modifies, or integrates technology systems, software, or AI components. This includes internal teams writing code, external vendors building custom solutions, system integrators connecting different technologies, and even companies that customize or resell existing products with modifications.
Why Chief AI Officers Care
CAIOs must understand that responsibility for AI system security, compliance, and performance extends beyond just internal development teams to include all external developers, vendors, and integrators in the supply chain. Each developer in the chain introduces potential risks around data handling, model bias, security vulnerabilities, and regulatory compliance that must be managed and monitored.
Real-World Example
When a company implements an AI chatbot, the 'developers' include the internal data science team that trains the model, the cloud vendor (like AWS) providing the infrastructure, the third-party company integrating it with the CRM system, and the consulting firm that customized the user interface - all of whom have access to sensitive data and influence the AI system's behavior.
Common Confusion
People often think 'developer' only refers to programmers writing code, but in cybersecurity and AI governance contexts, it encompasses the entire ecosystem of vendors, integrators, and service providers who contribute to or modify systems throughout their lifecycle.
Industry-Specific Applications
See how this term applies to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, tech, and insurance.
Healthcare: In healthcare, developers include health IT vendors, EHR companies, medical device manufacturers, AI/ML solution provide...
Finance: In finance, developers include internal software teams building trading platforms or risk management systems, fintech ve...
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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
"A general term that includes developers or manufacturers of systems, system components, or system services; systems integrators; vendors; and product resellers. Development of systems, components, or services can occur internally within organizations or through external entities. "Source: SP800-37
"Individual or organization that performs development activities (including requirements analysis, design, testing through acceptance) during the system or software life‐cycle process."Source: IEEE_Soft_Vocab
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