Protected Attribute

A characteristic of individuals (e.g., race, gender, age, disability) that is legally protected from discrimination and must be considered in fairness assessments of AI systems.

Personal characteristics that laws say you can't discriminate against; like race, gender, age, religion or disability. AI systems need to be especially careful not to make decisions based on these.

Understanding protected attributes is fundamental to AI risk management. Your data governance and AI development policies must address how protected attributes are handled to ensure legal compliance across all jurisdictions you operate in.