AI register One list of every AI system in use: what it does, what it sees, who owns it.
Short answer. An AI register is an inventory of the AI systems an organisation uses or builds, with the facts needed to govern each one: its purpose, owner, users, the data it touches, where it runs, the vendor and model, and when it was last reviewed. The NIST AI Risk Management Framework makes this an outcome in its own right: GOVERN 1.6 says mechanisms should be in place to inventory AI systems. Regulators use the same idea at scale. SEBI asked stock brokers and depository participants using AI or machine learning systems to report them every quarter from March 2019 so it could build an inventory of AI use in Indian markets, and the EU AI Act sets up a public EU database for high-risk AI systems. For an office, a one-page spreadsheet reviewed every month is enough to start.
01
What to record for each AI system
Field
Example entry
Name and purpose
Transcription and minutes for partners’ meetings
Owner
Office manager
Users
Partners and two associates
Data it sees
Meeting audio, client names, fee discussions
Where it runs
A server in the office, or a vendor’s cloud in a named country
Vendor and model
Vendor name, model name and version
Retention
Recordings deleted after 30 days; minutes kept with the client file
Human check
The owner of each action item confirms it before minutes go out
Risks and controls
Misheard names; a speaker check before circulation
Last reviewed
Date and reviewer
02
Who asks for a register
NIST AI RMF 1.0, January 2023: GOVERN 1.6, inventory AI systems and resource them according to risk; GOVERN 1.7, retire them safely.
SEBI circular of 4 January 2019: stock brokers and depository participants using AI or ML systems file a report each quarter within 15 days of its end, so SEBI can build an inventory of AI use in Indian markets.
EU AI Act, Article 71: an EU database of high-risk AI systems, with public-authority deployers registering their use. The European Commission says the rules for high-risk uses in areas such as employment and education apply from 2 December 2027.
UK central government: the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard is mandatory for government departments and some arm’s-length bodies, which publish records of their algorithmic tools.
03
Register versus log
A register lists systems and the decisions about them; an audit log records each use. You need both: the register says the minutes tool is approved for partners’ meetings, and the log shows who used it on which day.
On ANVE, every model call is logged with the user, the app and the model and whether it ran locally or in the cloud, and the tools an agent can use must be approved by an administrator; a tool that changes is switched off (see the /security page). The logs make it easy to spot a cloud model or tool that is missing from the register.
04
Keeping it current
Add a row before a tool is used, not after.
Compare the register each month with what the logs and expense claims show.
Record retired tools and what happened to their data.
Keep it next to the AI use policy, so the approved list and the register match.
05
Questions people ask
Is an AI register required by Indian law?
Not generally, as of October 2026. Sector regulators can ask for one, as SEBI did for stock brokers in 2019, and it is an expected outcome in frameworks such as NIST’s AI RMF.
Should free AI tools staff use be in the register?
Yes, if they are used for office work. Unlisted tools are the ones that cause surprises; listing them is the first step to approving or stopping them.
How is an AI register different from a record of processing?
A record of processing lists uses of personal data; an AI register lists AI systems. They overlap where an AI system processes personal data, so cross-reference the two.
How often should the register be reviewed?
Monthly in a small office, and whenever a tool, model or vendor changes.
06
What is not real yet
No sealed ANVE unit exists; every image of the appliance on this site is a labelled render. The software runs today on a development machine. No customers yet, no certifications, no delivery date, and the final price is not announced.
Reservations are ₹999 in India or US$12 elsewhere, refundable in full until you confirm an order in writing (terms). Offices that cannot use cloud AI can apply to be one of ten design partners.
