output
What It Means
Output refers to any data, information, or results that an AI system produces and sends outside of itself. This includes everything from chatbot responses and recommendation lists to generated reports, predictions, or files that users can see or download.
Why Chief AI Officers Care
Outputs are where AI systems create business value but also expose the organization to the greatest risks - biased recommendations, hallucinated content, or leaked sensitive information all happen through outputs. CAIOs must govern what AI systems can produce and share externally, as these outputs directly impact customers, compliance, and brand reputation.
Real-World Example
A customer service AI chatbot's output includes every response it sends to customers - whether that's a helpful answer about return policies, an inappropriate joke, or accidentally sharing another customer's order details. Each response is an output that could either enhance or damage the customer relationship.
Common Confusion
People often think output only means final reports or visible results, but it actually includes any data transfer - log files, API responses, temporary files, and even error messages that systems generate. Even seemingly internal data transfers can be outputs if they cross system boundaries.
Industry-Specific Applications
See how this term applies to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, tech, and insurance.
Healthcare: In healthcare AI, output encompasses clinical decision support recommendations, diagnostic predictions, risk scores, tre...
Finance: In finance, AI output encompasses trading signals, risk assessments, credit decisions, regulatory reports, and customer-...
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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
"Data transmitted to an external destination"Source: IEEE_Soft_Vocab
"Process by which an information processing system, or any of its parts, transfers data outside of that system or part"Source: IEEE_Soft_Vocab
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