AI Incident Response Plan Template
Know exactly what to do when AI goes wrong. Step-by-step playbook covering detection, containment, investigation, remediation, and stakeholder communication. Includes severity levels and team responsibilities.
Key Insights
AI incidents differ from traditional IT incidents: a biased AI decision affects customers differently than a server outage, an AI-generated content incident requires different response than a data breach, and regulatory reporting requirements vary by AI incident type. Your incident response plan needs AI-specific procedures.
This template provides a complete AI incident response plan: severity classification for AI incidents, response team structure, phased response procedures, communication protocols, and regulatory notification guidance—ready for customization to your organization.
Overview
When AI goes wrong, response time and quality determine outcomes. A biased AI making customer decisions for hours while you figure out response procedures causes harm that proper preparation prevents. An AI data breach without clear regulatory notification procedures creates compliance exposure.
This template provides the structure for AI incident response. Customize the placeholders for your organization—contact information, escalation paths, specific procedures—and you have a deployable incident response plan.
What's Inside
Purpose & Scope
- Coverage: AI system failures, biased outputs, data breaches involving AI, AI-generated content harm, vendor incidents, compliance violations
- Integration with existing incident response
Incident Classification
- SEV 1 Critical: Immediate severe impact (safety, major breach, widespread discrimination) — Response within 15 minutes
- SEV 2 High: Significant customer/reputation/compliance impact — Response within 1 hour
- SEV 3 Medium: Moderate impact with workarounds — Response within 4 hours
- SEV 4 Low: Minor impact, no immediate action required — Response within 24 hours
Incident Response Team
- Incident Commander: Overall ownership, escalation, stakeholder communication
- Technical Lead: Investigation, remediation, root cause analysis
- Legal/Compliance: Regulatory assessment, notification requirements
- Communications: Internal/external communications, media relations
- Security Lead: Security investigation, forensics
- Executive Sponsor: Final authority, Board liaison
Response Phases
- Phase 1: Detection & Reporting — Identification, initial assessment, team activation
- Phase 2: Containment — Stop harm, preserve evidence, implement workarounds
- Phase 3: Investigation — Root cause analysis, impact assessment
- Phase 4: Remediation — Fix implementation, testing, restoration
- Phase 5: Review — Post-incident analysis, lessons learned, plan updates
Communication Protocols
- Internal notification matrix by severity
- External stakeholder communication
- Regulatory notification requirements
- Media response guidance
Who This Is For
- Chief AI Officers establishing incident response capability
- AI Governance Teams implementing response procedures
- Security/IT integrating AI incidents into response programs
- Legal/Compliance ensuring regulatory notification readiness
- Communications preparing for AI incident communications
Why This Resource
Most incident response plans don't address AI-specific incidents. This template adds AI coverage—biased AI outputs, AI-generated content harm, vendor AI incidents—that existing plans miss. The severity classification accounts for AI-specific impact factors.
Ready-to-customize format means you can deploy quickly, not spend weeks drafting from scratch.
FAQ
Q: How does this integrate with our existing incident response plan?
A: This template can supplement your existing plan (add AI-specific procedures) or serve as a standalone AI incident plan. The structure aligns with standard incident response frameworks.
Q: What about regulatory notification for AI incidents?
A: The communication section includes regulatory notification guidance. Specific requirements vary by regulation (GDPR, HIPAA, state laws)—customize based on your regulatory exposure.
Q: How often should we test this plan?
A: Annual tabletop exercises at minimum, with more frequent testing for high-risk AI deployments. The template includes a "Last Tested" field to track.
What's Inside
Purpose & Scope
- Coverage: AI system failures, biased outputs, data breaches involving AI, AI-generated content harm, vendor incidents, compliance violations
- Integration with existing incident response
Incident Classification
- SEV 1 Critical: Immediate severe impact (safety, major breach, widespread discrimination) — Response within 15 minutes
- SEV 2 High: Significant customer/reputation/compliance impact — Response within 1 hour
- SEV 3 Medium: Moderate impact with workarounds — Response within 4 hours
- SEV 4 Low: Minor impact, no immediate action required — Response within 24 hours
Incident Response Team
- Incident Commander: Overall ownership, escalation, stakeholder communication
- Technical Lead: Investigation, remediation, root cause analysis
- Legal/Compliance: Regulatory assessment, notification requirements
- Communications: Internal/external communications, media relations
- Security Lead: Security investigation, forensics
- Executive Sponsor: Final authority, Board liaison
Response Phases
- Phase 1: Detection & Reporting — Identification, initial assessment, team activation
- Phase 2: Containment — Stop harm, preserve evidence, implement workarounds
- Phase 3: Investigation — Root cause analysis, impact assessment
- Phase 4: Remediation — Fix implementation, testing, restoration
- Phase 5: Review — Post-incident analysis, lessons learned, plan updates
Communication Protocols
- Internal notification matrix by severity
- External stakeholder communication
- Regulatory notification requirements
- Media response guidance
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