H33 vs AI Governance Platforms
Governance platforms manage your policies. H33 produces verifiable evidence that the policies were applied.
AI governance platforms — Credo AI, Holistic AI, IBM watsonx.governance, Fiddler, Arthur, Robust Intelligence — help enterprises define policies, manage model inventories, track risk dashboards, and orchestrate compliance workflows. H33 produces something different: cryptographically verifiable evidence that, for each specific decision, a specific policy was actually applied. The two solve different problems.
What governance platforms solve
AI governance platforms emerged in response to AI proliferation in enterprises. They provide model inventory (track every AI model in production), policy management (define AI policies and assign them to models), risk dashboards (visualize model risk metrics), compliance workflows (orchestrate review cycles), monitoring integration, and stakeholder coordination. For organizations managing AI at scale, governance platforms turn ad hoc AI risk management into systematic AI risk management.
What governance platforms do not solve
Governance platforms manage policies. They do not produce cryptographic evidence that policies were applied to specific decisions. A governance platform can show: this model has fairness policy version 2 attached; this model was approved by the AI ethics committee on March 15; this model's bias metrics are within tolerance. What it cannot show: for decision X made at 2:47 PM on April 3, the model that produced the decision was running under fairness policy version 2, was authorized by the appropriate principal, consulted these specific data records, and produced this specific output with this specific confidence — with cryptographically signed, tamper-evident, externally-verifiable proof. For internal governance, the platform is enough. For regulatory verification, audit defense, litigation discovery, and acquirer diligence, evidence is also required.
The layering
Governance platforms and H33 work at different layers. Governance platforms sit at the policy and risk management layer — they define what should happen. H33 evidence sits at the decision evidence layer — it documents what actually happened. An enterprise running both gets a coordinated view of policies, models, risk classifications, and compliance status from the platform, plus cryptographically verifiable evidence bundles for each decision from H33. The platform's policy definitions feed the H33 bundle's PolicyBind object. The platform's model inventory feeds the ModelFingerprint object. The platform's principal authorization feeds the AuthorityBind object.
Side-by-side
| Dimension | Governance Platform | H33 Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Manage policies and risk | Produce verifiable evidence |
| Granularity | Model and policy level | Per-decision level |
| Output | Dashboards, reports, workflows | Cryptographic bundles |
| Verification model | Internal compliance team | External independent verifier |
| Mutability | Platform-controlled | Cryptographically tamper-evident |
| Cross-vendor portability | Platform-specific | Open canonical JSON + verifier |
| Audience | AI ethics, compliance, executives | Regulators, auditors, courts |
Use cases for both layers
A bank running AI for credit decisions. The governance platform manages the fairness policy, the model inventory, the risk classification. The bank also generates H33 evidence bundles for each credit decision. When a regulator examines fair lending compliance, the platform shows the policy; the H33 bundles show evidence that the policy applied to the specific decisions. A pharmaceutical company running AI for trial analyses. The governance platform manages the AI risk classification and conformity-assessment workflow. The H33 evidence bundles for each analysis document the trial data consulted, the model identity, the analysis policy. A federal agency running AI for benefits determinations. The governance platform manages the agency's AI inventory under EO 14110. The H33 evidence bundles document each determination's basis.
Common questions
Can H33 replace my governance platform?
No. H33 is not a governance platform. H33 produces verifiable evidence for decisions. Governance platforms manage policies and risk.
Can governance platforms produce H33-equivalent evidence?
Some platforms are adding cryptographic signing features. Most do not produce three-family post-quantum signed, canonical, schema-versioned, chain-anchorable bundles.
Will H33 integrate with my governance platform?
Yes. H33 bundles can reference platform-managed policies and models.
Does this work with ISO 42001?
Both layers map to ISO 42001 requirements. The governance platform supports the AI management system structure. The H33 bundles provide the operational evidence.
Does H33 produce dashboards?
No. H33 produces verifiable evidence bundles. Dashboards are produced by governance platforms, BI tools, or custom interfaces.
Related: AI Governance Evidence · AI Compliance Evidence · Verifiable AI Decisions · AI Agent Governance