Digital systems increasingly act at speed and scale across domains.
Governance frameworks regulate authority, policy, execution, and audit.
But one element remains structurally weak:
Intent is rarely fixed in a single, auditable form before execution.
Declared Intent proposes a minimal, structured way to address that gap.
The Governance Problem
When consequential systems are deployed, organisations typically produce:
- business cases
- policy documents
- model cards
- DPIAs
- risk assessments
- approval emails
Yet none of these serve as a single, durable reference point for:
What was this system intended to do — at the moment it acted?
Instead:
- intent is distributed across documents
- approvals are scoped ambiguously
- limits are implicit
- scope shifts occur incrementally
- accountability is reconstructed after incidents
When something goes wrong, debate focuses on what was "meant."
This creates a governance gap.
Not a lack of rules —
but a lack of a fixed reference point for purpose.
The Proposal
The Declared Intent Record (DIR)
A DIR is a pre-execution statement of purpose and limits, recorded once and immutable thereafter.
It answers, in structured form:
- WHAT action is intended
- ON what subject or dataset
- FOR whose benefit or decision
- HOW (mode of authority: assistive, advisory, automated, etc.)
- LIMITS (explicit exclusions and safeguards)
- EXPECTED OUTPUT
Each DIR:
- is timestamped
- has a unique Intent_ID
- cannot be edited after execution begins
- can only be superseded by a new declared intent
The DIR does not enforce behaviour.
It creates a shared object that:
- approval bodies evaluate
- policy functions constrain
- execution systems reference
- auditors compare against outcomes
Why This Matters Now
AI systems increasingly:
- move across domains
- integrate into high-stakes services
- evolve through incremental operational changes
Small workflow adjustments — such as shifting from "assistive" to "automated" — can materially change outcomes.
Without an explicit, versioned intent declaration:
- drift is difficult to detect
- reuse is difficult to govern
- accountability becomes adversarial
A DIR makes intent explicit before execution and visible across governance layers.
What This Is — and Is Not
This is:
- A draft assurance artefact
- A proposed structured schema
- An invitation to stress-test in real governance contexts
This is not:
- A product
- An enforcement regime
- A finished standard
- A regulatory mandate
The objective is to determine whether a structured, immutable intent record materially improves assurance practice.
For Practitioners
Declared Intent is intended for:
- AI assurance teams
- Digital service assessment leads
- Data governance functions
- Audit professionals
- Regulators and policy advisors
We are seeking critique on:
- Practical viability
- Interaction with existing frameworks
- Risks of performative compliance
- Implementation constraints
This proposal is being published early to enable informed challenge before institutionalisation.
Status
Declared Intent is an independent, early-stage proposal.
It is not affiliated with any regulator, vendor, or standards body.
Engagement is welcome from practitioners across domains.
feedback@declaredintent.org