Written by A living register turns invisible AI sprawl into a single source of truth leadership can actually see.
What Is An AI Use Case Register
An AI use case register (or catalogue) is a centralised, continuously updated inventory of every submitted, approved, in-progress, and completed AI initiative, visible across business units. This maps directly to the “Store” discipline in DASUD, extended from data assets to governance artefacts themselves.
Two Audiences, One Register
Executives use it to see enterprise-wide AI investment and risk exposure at a glance, while business teams use it to check whether a similar solution already exists before submitting a duplicate request. Duplicate investment is one of the most expensive hidden bottlenecks in AI governance, since teams unknowingly fund overlapping pilots that never get compared or consolidated.
Minimum Fields To Track
Track use case name, owner, business unit, current status, composite score from the triage phase, risk tier, and last review date. Publish a simplified, non-sensitive version internally so non-technical staff can browse it without needing register-owner access.
The “Agent Checkout” Model
One governance leader described an aspirational future state worth aiming for: an internal catalogue of use cases shared across departments with an AI review board functioning like an “agent checkout” counter, where low-risk items can essentially be self-served against existing approved patterns. This reframes the register from a passive spreadsheet into an active service catalogue business units browse before building anything new — a distinctly more useful model than a static tracking sheet.
Keeping The Register Alive
Registers become stale within weeks without discipline. A lightweight monthly reconciliation ritual, where each use case owner confirms status in under two minutes via a form, keeps the data current without requiring manual chasing by a governance team.
What The Register Reveals Over Time
Aggregated register data answers strategic questions like which business unit generates the most viable AI ideas, or what percentage of approved use cases actually reach production — valuable inputs into annual planning.
FAQ
Is a use case register the same as a project management tool?
No, it is a governance-focused summary layer that sits above detailed project tracking.
Who updates the register?
Use case owners self-report monthly, with governance staff auditing a sample for accuracy.
Should the register be public within the organisation?
A simplified version should be, to prevent duplicate submissions and build trust.
What is the “agent checkout” model?
A future-state register where low-risk, pre-approved AI patterns can be self-served by business units without a full new approval cycle.
If you’d like assistance or advice with your Data Governance implementation, or any other topic (Privacy, Cybersecurity, Ethics, AI and Product Management) please feel free to drop me an email here and I will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn and I will get back to you within the same day!
Nigel D'Souza 