Drift
The slow slide in an AI tool's output quality, access and rules once nobody is looking after it. Unowned AI rarely fails loudly. It drifts.
What it means in practice
The ownership article lists five costs of drift: quality slips, access widens, policy goes stale, incidents have no reporting route, and the business cannot show its work. It says the vendor may update the model behind a tool, the documents it draws on change and new features switch on.
How we use it
The ownership article recommends a named owner and a quarterly review for every tool, plus a second trigger for whenever the vendor announces a change. See what happens when nobody owns the AI you have rolled out and AI ownership.
FAQ
Questions about Drift
What is drift in an AI tool?
Drift is the slow slide in an AI tool's output quality, access and rules once nobody is looking after it. The ownership article says unowned AI rarely fails loudly. It drifts.
How do you stop it?
The ownership article recommends one named owner per tool, a quarterly review in the calendar, and a second review trigger whenever the vendor announces a change.
What it means for a business
An AI tool does not stay as it was installed, so a review done at launch describes a tool that no longer exists in quite that form. The checking has to keep moving because the tool does.
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