AI Marketing Risk Assessment Template

# AI Marketing Risk Assessment **Prepared by:** [YOUR NAME] **Date:** [DATE] **Review Period:** [QUARTER/YEAR] **AI Initiative:** [PROJECT NAME] --- ## Executive Summary [2-3 sentence overview of the AI marketing initiative being assessed, including primary use case(s) and business objective(s)] **Risk Level:** [LOW / MODERATE / HIGH] **Recommended Action:** [PROCEED / PROCEED WITH MITIGATIONS / PAUSE / REJECT] --- ## 1. Initiative Overview ### Scope - **AI Tool/Platform:** [Name and vendor] - **Primary Use Case:** [e.g., predictive lead scoring, content personalization, campaign optimization] - **Departments Affected:** [List: Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, etc.] - **Launch Timeline:** [Start date to full deployment] - **Budget Allocation:** $[AMOUNT] - **Expected Users:** [NUMBER] team members ### Business Objectives 1. [Objective 1 with measurable outcome] 2. [Objective 2 with measurable outcome] 3. [Objective 3 with measurable outcome] --- ## 2. Risk Assessment Matrix | Risk Category | Risk Description | Likelihood | Impact | Overall Risk | Owner | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | [CATEGORY] | [Specific risk] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW] | [NAME] | | Data Privacy | Unauthorized access to customer PII during model training | M | H | HIGH | [NAME] | | Model Bias | AI recommendations favor certain customer segments, reducing conversion for others | M | M | MEDIUM | [NAME] | | Brand Safety | AI-generated content misrepresents brand voice or values | L | H | MEDIUM | [NAME] | | Compliance | Output violates GDPR, CCPA, or industry-specific regulations | L | H | MEDIUM | [NAME] | | Integration | AI tool fails to integrate with existing martech stack | M | M | MEDIUM | [NAME] | | Vendor Risk | Vendor experiences outage, discontinues service, or changes pricing | L | M | LOW | [NAME] | | Skill Gap | Team lacks expertise to operate, maintain, or interpret AI outputs | H | M | HIGH | [NAME] | | Cost Overrun | Actual implementation costs exceed budget by >20% | M | M | MEDIUM | [NAME] | | Adoption | Marketing team resists using AI tool; adoption falls below 50% | M | M | MEDIUM | [NAME] | | Transparency | Inability to explain AI decisions to customers or regulators | M | H | HIGH | [NAME] | --- ## 3. Detailed Risk Analysis ### Data Privacy & Security **Risk:** [Describe specific data privacy concern, e.g., customer data exposure, inadequate encryption] **Current Controls:** - [Control 1] - [Control 2] - [Control 3] **Gaps Identified:** - [Gap 1] - [Gap 2] **Mitigation Strategy:** - [Action 1 with owner and deadline] - [Action 2 with owner and deadline] --- ### Regulatory & Compliance **Applicable Regulations:** - GDPR (EU customers): [Compliance status] - CCPA (CA residents): [Compliance status] - [Industry-specific regulation]: [Compliance status] **Risk:** [Describe compliance gap or regulatory exposure] **Mitigation Strategy:** - Legal review completed by: [DATE] - Consent mechanisms in place: [YES/NO] - Data retention policy updated: [YES/NO] - Third-party audit scheduled: [YES/NO] --- ### Model Bias & Fairness **Risk:** [Describe potential bias, e.g., demographic disparities in recommendations] **Testing Conducted:** - [ ] Bias audit across [demographic categories] - [ ] Performance parity analysis - [ ] Fairness threshold testing **Results Summary:** [Key findings from bias testing] **Mitigation Strategy:** - Bias monitoring dashboard: [DEPLOYED/PLANNED] - Quarterly fairness audits: [SCHEDULED] - Human review process for [specific decisions]: [IMPLEMENTED] --- ### Brand & Reputational Risk **Risk:** [Describe potential brand impact, e.g., AI-generated content misalignment, customer backlash] **Brand Safety Measures:** - Content guardrails defined: [YES/NO] - Brand voice guidelines provided to AI: [YES/NO] - Human review required for: [SPECIFY] - Monitoring system in place: [YES/NO] **Escalation Protocol:** - Issue detection method: [AUTOMATED/MANUAL] - Response time SLA: [HOURS] - Approval authority: [NAME/TITLE] --- ### Organizational & Skill Gaps **Risk:** [Describe capability gaps, e.g., team lacks AI literacy, no dedicated AI lead] **Current Capabilities:** - Team members with AI experience: [NUMBER] - Dedicated AI lead assigned: [YES/NO] - Training budget allocated: $[AMOUNT] **Mitigation Strategy:** - Training program: [VENDOR/INTERNAL] - Completion deadline: [DATE] - Ongoing support structure: [DESCRIBE] - Change management plan: [ATTACHED/PLANNED] --- ### Vendor & Technology Risk **Vendor Assessment:** - Company stability (funding, revenue): [ASSESSMENT] - Security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001): [YES/NO] - SLA uptime guarantee: [PERCENTAGE]% - Data residency options: [LOCATIONS] - Pricing lock-in period: [DURATION] **Contingency Plan:** - Alternative vendors identified: [YES/NO] - Data portability verified: [YES/NO] - Exit timeline if needed: [DAYS] --- ## 4. Control & Monitoring Framework ### Preventive Controls | Control | Responsibility | Frequency | Status | |---|---|---|---| | [Control name] | [Owner] | [Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly] | [ACTIVE/PENDING] | | Data access audit | [Owner] | Monthly | ACTIVE | | Bias testing | [Owner] | Quarterly | PENDING | | Compliance review | [Owner] | Quarterly | ACTIVE | ### Detective Controls - **Monitoring Dashboard:** [TOOL NAME] — tracks [METRICS] - **Alert Thresholds:** [Describe triggers for escalation] - **Audit Trail:** [System logs retention: DURATION] - **Incident Reporting:** [Process and escalation path] ### Corrective Actions - **Issue Response Time:** [HOURS] - **Rollback Capability:** [YES/NO] — timeline: [HOURS] - **Escalation Authority:** [NAME/TITLE] --- ## 5. Risk Mitigation Plan | Risk | Mitigation Action | Owner | Start Date | Completion Date | Status | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | [Risk] | [Action] | [Name] | [DATE] | [DATE] | [NOT STARTED/IN PROGRESS/COMPLETE] | | Data Privacy | Implement data encryption at rest and in transit | [Name] | [DATE] | [DATE] | IN PROGRESS | | Model Bias | Conduct third-party fairness audit | [Name] | [DATE] | [DATE] | NOT STARTED | | Brand Safety | Establish content review workflow | [Name] | [DATE] | [DATE] | IN PROGRESS | --- ## 6. Success Metrics & KPIs ### Business Metrics - [Metric 1]: Target [VALUE], Current [VALUE] - [Metric 2]: Target [VALUE], Current [VALUE] - [Metric 3]: Target [VALUE], Current [VALUE] ### Risk Metrics - Incidents detected and resolved: [TARGET] per month - Bias disparity threshold: [PERCENTAGE]% maximum - Compliance violations: [TARGET] = zero - User adoption rate: [TARGET]% - System uptime: [TARGET]% ### Review Cadence - Weekly operational review: [DAY/TIME] - Monthly risk review: [DAY/TIME] - Quarterly executive review: [DATE] --- ## 7. Approval & Sign-Off | Role | Name | Signature | Date | |---|---|---|---| | Chief Marketing Officer | [NAME] | _____ | [DATE] | | Chief Information Security Officer | [NAME] | _____ | [DATE] | | Chief Legal Officer / Compliance | [NAME] | _____ | [DATE] | | Chief Financial Officer | [NAME] | _____ | [DATE] | | Project Sponsor | [NAME] | _____ | [DATE] | --- ## 8. Appendices ### Appendix A: Vendor Security Assessment [Attach vendor SOC 2 report, security questionnaire responses, or third-party assessment] ### Appendix B: Data Flow Diagram [Attach diagram showing how customer data flows through AI system] ### Appendix C: Compliance Checklist [Attach detailed GDPR/CCPA/industry compliance checklist with sign-off] ### Appendix D: Change Management Plan [Attach communication timeline, training materials, and adoption strategy] ### Appendix E: Incident Response Playbook [Attach procedures for responding to data breaches, model failures, or compliance violations]