The AI Inventory is the master record of all AI tools, systems, and components actively used across a legal function. It includes:
- Approved tools registered in the AI Bill of Materials (AI BoM)
- Shadow AI surfaced by the champion network
- Tools under evaluation in the procurement cycle
The Inventory is the institution’s awareness layer: it shows everything that is actually operating, regardless of procurement status.
The AI BoM is the procurement-grade, contractually referenced subset of the Inventory. Every BoM entry is an Inventory item, but not every Inventory item is yet in the BoM.
This distinction is critical at the Operate-stage quarterly review (GOV-15):
- Example: the Inventory shows 14 capabilities in operation
- Only 11 have BoM entries
- The gap of 3 is the standing remediation list (e.g., to be assessed, regularized, or decommissioned)
Inventory reconciliation is therefore a standard agenda item at the quarterly Cadence: the team compares Inventory vs. BoM, identifies gaps, and assigns remediation actions.
Use the AI Inventory to understand *what is actually running*; use the AI BoM to understand *what is formally approved and contractually governed*. The difference between the two defines your remediation workload each quarter.
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Diagram showing AI Inventory as a large circle containing all AI tools, with a smaller circle inside labeled AI BoM, and the area between them labeled remediation gap.