An incident report gives people a concrete account of what happened. It can describe the affected users or systems, the observed behavior, when it was noticed, and what evidence supports the current explanation. A report should distinguish confirmed facts from open questions.
In an AI product, reporting helps outsiders evaluate a provider's response rather than relying on a vague label for the failure. It also gives teams a record they can use to compare later incidents and verify whether corrective work helped. The appropriate level of detail depends on privacy, security, and the audience.
ELI5
Incident reporting means writing down what went wrong with a product and what is known about it. It helps other people understand the problem without having to guess from a short label.
For example, if an AI assistant repeatedly omits a required warning, a report might say which feature was affected, how often the omission was observed, and what the team has checked so far. It can also say plainly what the team has not yet figured out.
What makes an incident report useful?
It identifies the observed failure, its impact, the supporting evidence, actions taken, and unresolved questions in clear language.
Should a report claim a cause before it is confirmed?
No. A provisional explanation should be labeled as such, with confirmed observations kept separate from hypotheses.
