Phase 5: AI Impact Assessment & Governance · 40 min · Python

Algorithmic Impact Assessment — Canada AIA and EU FRIA

Before you deploy, assess what could go wrong. Document it. Then decide.

Hiring signal: Algorithmic impact assessments are a required deliverable for AI systems in government (Canada AIA) and high-risk systems under the EU AI Act (FRIA). Being able to produce one is a concrete governance skill.

What you will learn

Describe Canada's Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) framework
Describe the EU AI Act Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment (FRIA) requirements
Build an AIA tool that scores an AI system across impact dimensions
Produce a structured AIA document as a governance artifact

The Problem

An AI system that determines welfare eligibility, screens job applicants, or approves loans has real consequences for real people. Governments and regulators require structured assessments before deployment — not as paperwork, but as a decision-making tool that forces you to think through the consequences before they happen.

Two frameworks lead the field: Canada's Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) and the EU AI Act's Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment (FRIA). Both require you to systematically evaluate the system's impact on rights, safety, and fairness before deployment.

Canada's AIA Framework

Canada's AIA evaluates AI systems across multiple dimensions, scoring the system's impact level:

Dimension	What It Measures	Scoring
Project context	Is the system automating a decision previously made by humans?	Higher impact if replacing human judgment
Decision impact	Does the system make decisions about people?	Higher impact for decisions about individuals
Affected populations	Who is affected? Vulnerable populations?	Higher impact for vulnerable groups
Impact scale	How many people are affected?	Higher impact for larger populations
Impact duration	How long do effects last?	Higher impact for irreversible effects
Reversibility	Can decisions be reversed?	Higher impact for irreversible decisions

The final score determines the required governance level: from minimal reporting (low impact) to mandatory ministerial approval and public consultation (high impact).

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers EU AI Act FRIA (Article 27), Building the AIA Tool, What's Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

Create a free account to unlock Phase 0 and Phase 1 of every course — no credit card.