algoritmille

Algoritmille is a concept used in discussions of algorithm documentation and governance. It refers to a framework for describing and evaluating algorithms to promote transparency, reproducibility, and accountability across development and deployment stages.

Origin and scope: The term appears in academic and industry discourse as a generic label rather than a single standard. It is used to contrast informal descriptions of algorithms with structured documentation that can be reviewed by researchers, auditors, policymakers, and end users. A key principle is to capture not only the code but also the data, decision logic, performance benchmarks, and ethical considerations surrounding an algorithm.

Structure and content: A typical algoritmille specification includes: problem statement and goals; input data schema and provenance; algorithmic logic or model description; parameterization and versioning; computational requirements and deployment constraints; evaluation metrics, test data, and performance results; audit trails, fairness and bias considerations, risk assessment; governance, ownership, and responsibilities; and update procedures.

Uses: Organisations use such specifications for internal governance, regulatory compliance, vendor risk management, and public accountability. They support reproducibility of results, external audits, and clearer communication with stakeholders.

Limitations and critique: The lack of universally accepted definitions can lead to inconsistent implementations. The process may impose overhead and can be misused to mask opaque decisions without genuine transparency if not accompanied by independent evaluation and clear governance.

See also: model cards, datasheets for datasets, algorithmic transparency, accountability in AI.