# OUT-14 Contestability and appeal process

Domain: OUT Output Integrity & Supply Chain · HI-AAF v1.3 · Public review · https://humanintel.net/standard/out/out-14

A documented process allows affected individuals to contest or appeal a consequential agent decision and to obtain human review. The process is published in user-facing terms.

A documented process allows affected individuals to contest or appeal a consequential agent decision and to obtain human review. The process is published in user-facing terms and tracked through the human review queue (MON-05). This control ensures that agent decisions are not final: that a human path exists for individuals who believe they have been treated unfairly or incorrectly.

## Maturity

- L1 Ad hoc: Controls exist informally; documentation is incomplete; no consistent review.
- L2 Documented: Controls are written down; ownership is assigned; review cadence is defined.
- L3 Operated: Controls are followed in practice; evidence is collected; deviations are tracked. Published criterion for OUT-14: Contestability process is documented and published in user-facing terms; the process is tracked through the human review queue; at least one contest or appeal has been processed or the process has been tested end-to-end.
- L4 Measured: Control effectiveness is measured against documented thresholds; trends are reported.
- L5 Continuously Improved: Controls evolve based on incident learning; maturity gains are evidenced over time.

## Evidence an assessor asks for

- Contestability process is documented and published in user-facing terms.
- The process is tracked through the human review queue.
- At least one contest or appeal has been processed or the process has been tested end-to-end.

## Framework mappings

- NIST AI RMF: MANAGE 3.2
- EU AI Act: Art. 14(4)
- Singapore: AI Verify Fairness, AI Verify Transparency

Mappings are directional: meeting this control evidences but does not by itself satisfy the external requirement.

## Related

- Cites MON-05 Human review queue: https://humanintel.net/standard/mon/mon-05
- Cited by DAT-13 Retrieved memory traceability: https://humanintel.net/standard/dat/dat-13
- Glossary: Contestability: https://humanintel.net/standard/glossary#contestability

## Cite this control

Human Intelligence. HI-AAF v1.3, OUT-14 Contestability and appeal process. Public review edition, July 2026. https://humanintel.net/standard/out/out-14