Holding statement
A short, honest stakeholder message with exactly three parts (what we know, confirmed; what we are doing; when we will update) and five forbidden additions (no speculation on cause, no blame, no promised fix time, no minimizing, no false closure before recovery is formally complete). It buys the trust to keep working with honesty about the partial story.
Defined in 3 GAGE programs, which carry 3 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Certified AI Governance Professional (CAIGP).
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
A short, honest stakeholder message with exactly three parts (what we know, confirmed; what we are doing; when we will update) and five forbidden additions (no speculation on cause, no blame, no promised fix time, no minimizing, no false closure before recovery is formally complete). It buys the trust to keep working with honesty about the partial story.
A crisis communications tool that states what is currently known, what is not yet known, and when the next update will arrive. Distinguished from a stall tactic by its commitment to a specific follow-up time.
A statement that holds a position rather than holding people off: what is established, what is not yet established, what is being done, and when you will speak next.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first module of every program is free with a free account.
- The 2 a.m. incident: your system fails live, stakeholders are calling, run the response · Shipping AI and Surviving the Incident, Certified AI Governance Professional (CAIGP)
- The Crisis Simulation with Real-Time Media Pressure · Crisis Management and Controversy Navigation, The AI Lobbyist: Certified AI Policy Strategist
- Crisis communication and communicating uncertainty · Governance, Risk and Compliance Metrics, Analytics, and Board Communication, Certified Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Professional (CEGP)
Where it shows up at work
A definition is where Holding statement starts. The lessons above teach it inside the competencies below, which are what job descriptions ask for and what the GAGE credential records. Every link here is drawn from the same careers map that builds a role's readiness check.
Classifies AI incidents by severity, runs containment, preserves evidence, manages notification, and closes the loop with lessons learned.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Roles that hire for it
Each role page shows the full competency set, what the seat decides, and a readiness check against your own evidence.
- Chief Information Security Officer, AI security focusneeds it at depth
- AI Incident Response Leadneeds it at depth · 1 open posting this week
- Chief Privacy Officer, AI privacy editionneeds working knowledge
- Chief Risk Officer, AI risk editionneeds working knowledge
- AI Security Architectneeds working knowledge · 8 open postings this week
- Physical AI Safety Engineer, autonomous systems editionneeds working knowledge
How job descriptions say it
Postings rarely use the textbook word. These are the phrases the careers map reads as asking for the competencies above.
Where the frameworks place it: EU AI Act Article 73; ISO/IEC 42001 Annex A incident controls; NIST AI RMF MANAGE 4.
One interview question about it
An AI system has just caused harm to a customer. Walk me through the first 48 hours.
Asked of candidates for ai incident response and recovery. Answering it in your own words is exactly how a GAGE topic is passed, and the credential records the pass where an employer can check it.
If you come from another field
Some backgrounds already carry this competency, and the readiness check gives credit for it.
- Cybersecurity and IT carries it as work you can show: Incident playbooks and post-incident reviews are your artifacts.
- A cybersecurity or information assurance degree carries it as a claim to back up: Incident response is a course; AI incidents add model failure to the playbook.
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.