Strategy Memovalidationgovernancetrust
Validation is a product capability
Evidence, trust, and accountability need to be designed into the lifecycle—not bolted on at the end.
The thesis
In high-stakes environments, validation isn't a compliance task. It's how the product earns the right to scale.
Why now
- Models evolve quickly; systems must remain trustworthy as they change.
- Stakeholders need evidence that reflects real usage, not demo scenarios.
What “validation as capability” looks like
- A clear evaluation strategy (gold sets, edge cases, failure modes)
- Human oversight paths that fit real practice
- Monitoring that detects drift, quality regression, and unsafe behavior
- A governance model that defines ownership and escalation
A useful mental model
Treat AI like a clinical device feature:
- define intended use
- define known failure modes
- design for traceability and accountability
- build a learning loop