The terms whose first letter is a capital letter used in this document are defined by Table 1.
Table 1 –Terms used in this document
| Term | Definition |
| Accessory Technical Specification | A Technical Specification specifying how to assess the impact of functionalities additional to those specified in a Technical Specification. |
| AI Framework (AIF) | The environment where AIWs are executed. |
| AI Module (AIM) | A data processing element receiving AIM-specific Inputs and producing AIM-specific Outputs according to its Function. An AIM may be an aggregation of AIMs. |
| AI Workflow (AIW) | An aggregation of AIMs implementing a Use Case receiving AIM-specific inputs and producing AIM-specific inputs according to its Function. |
| Application-oriented Technical Specification | An MPAI Technical Specification designed to enable domain-specific applications. |
| Conformance | The attribute of an Implementation of being a technically correct reification of a Technical Specification. |
| Conformance Tester | An entity authorised by MPAI to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Conformance Testing Specification | The normative document specifying the Means to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Conformance Testing Means | Procedures, tools, data sets and/or data set characteristics to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Conformance Testing Specification | The Normative document specifying the Means to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Data Format | The standard digital representation of Data and their semantics. |
| Data Semantics | The meaning of Data. |
| Ecosystem | The ensemble of MPAI, MPAI Store, Implementers, Performance Assessors, and Users of Implementations enabling a market of Implementations with certified Interoperability Levels. |
| Explainability | The ability to trace the output of an Implementation back to the inputs that have produced it. |
| Fairness | The attribute of an Implementation describing to which extent the Implementation does not produce biased or unanticipated results. |
| Function | The operation of an AIW of an AIM on Input Data as specified by an Application-oriented Specification to produce Output Data. |
| Grade | The Performance of an Implementation measured against a scale specified in the relevant Performance Assessment Specification. |
| Implementation | 1. An embodiment of the MPAI-AIF Technical Specification.
2. An embodiment of an AIW or AIM of a particular Interoperability Level. |
| Implementer | A legal entity implementing MPAI Technical Specifications. |
| ImplementerID (IID) | A unique name assigned by the ImplementerID Registration Authority to an Implementer. |
| ImplementerID Registration Authority (IIDRA) | The function within the MPAI Store to assign ImplementerID’s to Implementers. |
| Interoperability | The ability to functionally replace an AIM or an AIW with another AIM having the same Interoperability Level. |
| Interoperability Level | The attribute of an AIW and its AIMs to be executable in an AIF Implementation and to:
1. Pass the AIF Conformance Testing (Level 1). 2. Pass the Conformance Testing (Level 2) of an Application Standard. 3. Pass the Performance Assessment (Level 3) of an Application Standard. |
| Means | The procedures, tools, data sets and/or the definition of suitable data sets used to Test the Conformance or Assess the Performance of an implementation. |
| Performance | The attribute of an Implementation to have Replicability, Robustness, Replicability, and Fairness. |
| Performance Assessment Specification | The document that:
1. Specifies the Means to Validate the Replicability of an Implementation. 2. Provides guidelines on how to assess Robustness, Replicability and Fairness of an Implementation. |
| Performance Assessment Means | Procedures, tools, data sets and/or data set characteristics to Assess the Performance of an Implementation. |
| Performance Assessor | An entity appointed by MPAI to assess that the Replicability of an Implementation is above Performance of an Implementation is above a Grade specified by a Performance Assessment Specification. |
| Profile | A particular subset of the technologies that are used in AIF, AIW or AIM and, where applicable, the classes, other subsets, options, and parameters relevant to that subset. |
| Reference Model | The AIMs and their Connections in an AIW. |
| Reference Software Specification | The Normative document specifying the characteristics of the associated Reference Software Implementation. |
| Reference Software Implementation | A technically correct software implementation of a Technical Specification containing source code, or source and compiled code. |
| Registration Authority | An entity assigning Identifier. |
| Reliability | The attribute of an Implementation that performs as specified by the Application Standard, profile and version the Implementation refers to, e.g., within the application scope, stated limitations, and for the period of time specified by the Implementer. |
| Replicability | The attribute of an Implementation describing to which extent its operation can be replicated, within an agreed level, by another user. |
| Reputation | The collection of reviews of an Implementation made by Users. |
| Robustness | The attribute of an Implementation describing to which confidence degree it can cope with data outside of its stated application scope. |
| Security Validation | The result of the application of the procedure specified in the MPAI-AIF Conformance Testing on an implementation. |
| Service Provider | An entrepreneur who offers an Implementation as a service (e.g., a recommendation service) to Users. |
| Standard | The ensemble of Technical Specification, Reference Software, Conformance Testing and Performance Assessment of an MPAI Standard. |
| Technical Specification | (Framework) the normative specification of the AIF.
(Application) the normative specification of the set of AIWs belonging to an application domain along with the AIMs required to Implement the AIWs that includes: 1. The formats of the Input/Output data of the AIWs implementing the AIWs. 2. The Connections of the AIMs of the AIW. 3. The formats of the Input/Output data of the AIMs belonging to the AIW. |
| Topology | The set of AIM Connections of an AIW. |
| Use Case | A particular instance of the Application domain targeted by an Application Standard. |
| User | A user of an Implementation. |
| User Agent | The Component interfacing the User with an AIF through the Controller |
| Version | A revision or extension of a Standard or of one of its elements. |
The Terms used in this standard whose first letter is capital and are not already included in Table 1 are defined in Table 2.
Table 2 – MPAI-wide Terms
| Term | Definition |
| Access | Static or slowly changing data that are required by an application such as domain knowledge data, data models, etc. |
| AI Framework (AIF) | The environment where AIWs are executed. |
| AI Module (AIM) | A processing element receiving AIM-specific Inputs and producing AIM-specific Outputs according to according to its Function. An AIM may be an aggregation of AIMs. |
| AI Workflow (AIW) | A structured aggregation of AIMs implementing a Use Case receiving AIW-specific inputs and producing AIW-specific inputs according to its Function. |
| AIF Metadata | The data set describing the capabilities of an AIF set by the AIF Implementer. |
| AIM Metadata | The data set describing the capabilities of an AIM set by the AIM Implementer. |
| Application Programming Interface (API) | A software interface that allows two applications to talk to each other |
| Application Standard | An MPAI Standard specifying AIWs, AIMs, Topologies and Formats suitable for a particular application domain. |
| Channel | A physical or logical connection between an output Port of an AIM and an input Port of an AIM. The term “connection” is also used as a synonym. |
| Communication | The infrastructure that implements message passing between AIMs. |
| Component | One of the 9 AIF elements: Access, AI Module, AI Workflow, Communication, Controller, Internal Storage, Global Storage, MPAI Store, and User Agent. |
| Conformance | The attribute of an Implementation of being a correct technical Implementation of a Technical Specification. |
| Conformance Tester | An entity authorised by MPAI to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Conformance Testing | The normative document specifying the Means to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Conformance Testing Means | Procedures, tools, data sets and/or data set characteristics to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
| Connection | A channel connecting an output port of an AIM and an input port of an AIM. |
| Controller | A Component that manages and controls the AIMs in the AIF, so that they execute in the correct order and at the time when they are needed. |
| Data | Information in digital form. |
| Data Format | The standard digital representation of Data. |
| Data Semantics | The meaning of Data. |
| Device | A hardware and/or software entity running at least one instance of an AIF. |
| Ecosystem | The ensemble of the following actors: MPAI, MPAI Store, Implementers, Conformance Testers, Performance Testers and Users of MPAI-AIF Implementations as needed to enable an Interoperability Level. |
| Event | An occurrence acted on by an Implementation. |
| Explainability | The ability to trace the output of an Implementation back to the inputs that have produced it. |
| Fairness | The attribute of an Implementation whose extent of applicability can be assessed by making the training set and/or network open to testing for bias and unanticipated results. |
| Function | The operations effected by an AIW or an AIM on input data. |
| Global Storage | A Component to store data shared by AIMs. |
| Identifier | A name that uniquely identifies an Implementation. |
| Implementation | 1. An embodiment of the MPAI-AIF Technical Specification, or
2. An AIW or AIM of a particular Level (1-2-3). |
| Implementer | A legal entity implementing MPAI Technical Specifications. |
| ImplementerID (IID) | A unique name assigned by the ImplementerID Registration Authority to an Implementer. |
| ImplementerID Registration Authority (IIDRA) | The function within the MPAI Store to assign ImplementerID’s to Implementers. |
| Internal Storage | A Component to store data of the individual AIMs. |
| Interoperability | The ability to functionally replace an AIM/AIW with another AIM/AIW having the same Interoperability Level |
| Interoperability Level | The attribute of an AIW and its AIMs to be executable in an AIF Implementation and to be:
1. Implementer-specific and satisfying the MPAI-AIF Standard (Level 1). 2. Specified by an MPAI Application Standard (Level 2). 3. Specified by an MPAI Application Standard and certified by a Performance Assessor (Level 3). |
| Knowledge Base | Structured and/or unstructured information made accessible to AIMs via MPAI-specified interfaces |
| Message | A sequence of Records. |
| Normativity | The set of attributes of a technology or a set of technologies specified by the applicable parts of an MPAI standard. |
| Performance | The state of an Implementation of having at least one of the following attributes: Reliable, Robust, Fair, or Replicable. |
| Performance Assessment | The normative document specifying the procedures, the tools, the data sets and/or the data set characteristics to Assess the Grade of Performance of an Implementation. |
| Performance Assessment Means | Procedures, tools, data sets and/or data set characteristics to Assess the Performance of an Implementation. |
| Performance Assessor | An entity authorised by MPAI to Assess the Performance of an Implementation in a given Application domain |
| Port | A physical or logical communication interface of an AIM. |
| Profile | A particular subset of the technologies used in MPAI-AIF or an AIW of an Application Standard and, where applicable, the classes, other subsets, options and parameters relevant to that subset. |
| Record | Data with a specified structure. |
| Reference Model | The AIMs and theirs Connections in an AIW. |
| Reference Software | A technically correct software implementation of a Technical Specification containing source code, or source and compiled code. |
| Reliability | The attribute of an Implementation that performs as specified by the Application Standard, profile and version the Implementation refers to, e.g., within the application scope, stated limitations, and for the period of time specified by the Implementer. |
| Replicability | The attribute of an Implementation whose Performance, as Assessed by a Performance Assessor, can be replicated, within an agreed level, by another Performance Assessor. |
| Robustness | The attribute of an Implementation that copes with data outside of the stated application scope with an estimated degree of confidence. |
| Scope | The domain of applicability of an MPAI Application Standard. |
| Service Provider | An entrepreneur who offers an Implementation as a service (e.g., a recommendation service) to Users. |
| Specification | A collection of normative clauses. |
| Standard | The ensemble of Technical Specification, Reference Software, Conformance Testing and Performance Assessment of an MPAI application Standard. |
| Technical Specification | (Framework) the normative specification of the AIF.
(Application) the normative specification of the set of AIWs belonging to an application domain along with the AIMs required to Implement the AIWs that includes: 1. The formats of the Input/Output data of the AIWs implementing the AIWs. 2. The Connections of the AIMs of the AIW. 3. The formats of the Input/Output data of the AIMs belonging to the AIW. |
| Testing Laboratory | A laboratory accredited by MPAI to Assess the Grade of Performance of Implementations. |
| Time Base | The protocol that specifies how AIF Components can access timing information. |
| Topology | The set of AIM Connections of an AIW. |
| Use Case | A particular instance of the Application domain target of an Application Standard. |
| User | A user of an Implementation. |
| User Agent | The Component interfacing the user with an AIF through the Controller |
| Version | A revision or extension of a Standard or of one of its elements. |
| Zero Trust | A cybersecurity model primarily focused on data and service protection that assumes no implicit trust. |
