News Research Brief: Source edition/date: 3 May 2024. Research reviewed on 2 November 2026. This is a dated explainer, not a claim of a newly announced event.
An AI demonstration often answers what the product can generate. It may say less about who can change it, how users challenge an output or which information leaves the business. Those questions belong in the demo agenda.
Understand the Research Context
The OECD announced revisions to its AI Principles on 3 May 2024 in response to technological developments, including general-purpose and generative AI. These principles are not a certification of a supplier’s implementation. Read the OECD: Updated AI Principles for the original context. The practical questions below are Best10Companies editorial analysis, not the source organization’s checklist or an endorsement.
What to Ask Before You Commit
Ask the supplier to trace one input through collection, processing, storage and deletion. Then ask what users will see when the system is uncertain. A broad ethics statement can be useful background, but it is not a substitute for access controls, evaluation records and an operating owner. Keep the distinction between a principle and a tested project behaviour explicit.
| Check | Evidence to Request |
|---|---|
| Data path | A concrete account of where inputs go |
| User control | Ways to question or override output |
| Evaluation | Recorded tests against intended behaviour |
A Practical Exercise
For a hypothetical document assistant, include one outdated document and one contradictory document in a controlled trial. Agree how the assistant should respond before looking at its answer. Do not use confidential data until permissions and handling have been agreed.
Build a Clearer Shortlist
Use the same brief when you compare companies offering Software & AI services. Keep the answers, assumptions and exclusions together so that a later decision is based on comparable information. When you are ready to post your requirement, describe the scope and the evidence you need rather than requesting a general promise of results.
