Framework · v1.0 · Published May 2026

Evolve Edge AI Risk Framework

EEARF v1.0

A structured, scored methodology for measuring enterprise AI risk across five dimensions. Built for compliance teams, legal counsel, CISOs, and executives who need clear answers before auditors, regulators, or customers ask the questions.

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Provisional Patent Pending #64/057,822 · Free to reference with attribution: "EEARF v1.0, Evolve Edge AI, 2026"

What Is EEARF?

EEARF is a scoring framework that gives organizations a quantitative, defensible measure of their AI risk posture. Unlike abstract compliance checklists, EEARF produces a 0–100 Evolve Edge AI Risk Score — a single number executives, boards, and regulators can understand and act on.

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5 Risk Dimensions

Data, Model, Operational, Compliance, and Governance — covering the full AI risk surface.

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25 Scored Questions

5 questions per dimension, each scored 0–4 points. Transparent, auditable, repeatable.

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0–100 Risk Score

Benchmarked against industry peers. Clear tier classification: Low / Moderate / Elevated / High.

Evolve Edge AI Risk Score — Tiers

Total score out of 100. Higher is better.

80–100Low Risk

Strong governance posture. Minor gaps addressable with targeted improvements.

60–79Moderate Risk

Meaningful gaps present. Action required before regulatory scrutiny or audit.

40–59Elevated Risk

Significant exposure. Priority remediation plan recommended within 90 days.

0–39High Risk

Critical vulnerabilities. Immediate executive attention and remediation required.

The Five Risk Dimensions

Each dimension is scored 0–20 points. 20 questions per dimension, scored 0–4 each.

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Dimension 01 · Max 20 pts

Data Risk

Evaluates whether the AI system uses data appropriately, lawfully, and without embedded bias that could harm decisions or expose the organization to liability.

01Is all training data documented with source, date, and licensing terms?
02Has the training data been audited for demographic or statistical bias?
03Is personal or sensitive data (PII, PHI, financial) used in training or inference?
04Are data retention and deletion policies enforced for AI-processed data?
05Is there a process to identify and remediate data drift over time?
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Dimension 02 · Max 20 pts

Model Risk

Assesses the explainability, auditability, and reliability of the AI model itself — including whether decision logic can be explained to regulators and affected parties.

01Can the model's decision logic be explained to a non-technical stakeholder?
02Is model performance monitored and retested after each update?
03Is there a documented rollback procedure if the model produces harmful outputs?
04Has the model been tested for adversarial inputs or edge cases?
05Is model versioning and change history maintained?
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Dimension 03 · Max 20 pts

Operational Risk

Examines the processes, controls, and human oversight mechanisms around AI deployment — including what happens when the AI makes a mistake.

01Is there a documented process for human review of high-stakes AI decisions?
02Are AI failures or anomalous outputs logged and investigated?
03Is there a formal incident response plan for AI-related failures?
04Do employees who use AI outputs understand the system's limitations?
05Is there a defined escalation path when AI outputs are disputed?
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Dimension 04 · Max 20 pts

Compliance Risk

Maps the AI system's activities against applicable laws, regulations, and standards — identifying gaps before regulators, auditors, or customers do.

01Has the organization mapped each AI system to applicable regulations (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, HIPAA, SOC 2, etc.)?
02Are AI systems classified by risk level as required under EU AI Act?
03Is consent obtained where required for AI-driven processing of personal data?
04Are third-party AI vendors assessed for their own compliance posture?
05Is there a process to monitor regulatory changes affecting AI use?
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Dimension 05 · Max 20 pts

Governance Risk

Evaluates whether the organization has the policies, accountability structures, and oversight mechanisms needed to govern AI responsibly at scale.

01Is there a written AI use policy that has been approved by leadership?
02Is there a named individual or team responsible for AI governance?
03Are all active AI systems inventoried with ownership, purpose, and risk classification?
04Is AI governance included in the organization's broader risk management program?
05Are employees trained on responsible AI use and reporting obligations?

How to Score Each Question

ScoreMeaningEvidence Required
4 — Fully MetControl is in place, documented, tested, and effectiveWritten policy + evidence of implementation + last review date
3 — Substantially MetControl exists and works but has minor gaps or documentation issuesWritten policy + implementation evidence
2 — Partially MetControl is in progress or inconsistently appliedDraft policy or partial implementation
1 — Minimally MetControl is planned but not yet implementedDocumented plan with owner and timeline
0 — Not MetNo control exists or awareness of requirementNo documentation

Regulatory Alignment

EEARF dimensions map directly to major regulatory frameworks.

EEARF DimensionNIST AI RMFEU AI ActISO 42001SOC 2
Data RiskMAP 1.1, MEASURE 2.5Art. 10 — Data GovernanceClause 6.1CC6.1, CC6.3
Model RiskMEASURE 2.2, MANAGE 2.2Art. 9 — Risk ManagementClause 8.4CC7.1, CC7.2
Operational RiskMANAGE 1.3, MANAGE 2.4Art. 14 — Human OversightClause 9.1CC7.3, CC7.4
Compliance RiskGOVERN 1.1, GOVERN 6.2Art. 6–7 — Risk ClassificationClause 4.2CC2.1, CC2.2
Governance RiskGOVERN 1.2, GOVERN 2.2Art. 26 — Provider ObligationsClause 5.1CC1.1, CC1.2

Attribution & Usage

EEARF v1.0 is published by Evolve Edge AI and is free to reference and use in research, compliance documentation, and internal assessments. When citing this framework, please use:

Evolve Edge AI Risk Framework (EEARF) v1.0. Published by Evolve Edge AI, May 2026. evolveedgeai.com/eearf. Provisional Patent Pending #64/057,822.

Commercial use in products or services requires a license. Contact us at k.green@evolveedgeai.com.

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