On August 5, 2024, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) announced that it had published a white paper on transparency in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Definition of transparency

The white paper defines transparency of AI systems as the provision of information about the entire lifecycle of an AI system and its ecosystem. Transparency promotes accessibility to information that enables an assessment of the system with regard to different needs and goals for all stakeholders.

The BSI outlines that the definition of transparency is kept as technology-neutral and future-proof as possible.

The white paper further breaks down the definition into several elements, including:

• AI system, which includes software and hardware systems, various approaches and techniques such as machine learning, machine reasoning, and robotics, as well as the multitude of different functionalities and forms of implementation;
• ecosystem, meaning the context in which an AI system is developed, provided, and operated - the white paper clarifies that transparency should go beyond the actual AI system;
• information available to the stakeholders to assess the AI system, including its disclosure, availability, and relevance;
• lifecycle, including the planning and conception phase, design phase, development and validation phase, commissioning and application phase, continuous evaluation phase, system updates, and decommissioning;
• needs and objectives, meaning specific information may vary depending on the application scenario; and
• stakeholders, referring to all those either indirectly or directly affected by an AI system or those who have an impact on the system.

Approach and procedure

The white paper also addresses the transparency requirements under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (the EU AI Act), as well as the opportunities of such AI systems, their security, and their risks, including misuse of transparency to provide incorrect information.

You can read the press release here and the white paper here, both only available in German.