Framework Crosswalk Brief (PDF-style Word draft)

Title: Aligning AI Governance Frameworks: A Practical Crosswalk
Mercury Security | 2025

Introduction

Organizations face overlapping requirements when deploying AI systems. The EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework, GDPR, and ISO/IEC 42001 all prescribe governance obligations, but in different language. Without a crosswalk, teams duplicate effort or miss critical obligations.

This brief introduces a sample crosswalk that aligns the four frameworks across key control areas. It is not exhaustive but demonstrates how mapping reduces redundancy and creates consistency.

How to Use the Crosswalk

The CSV provided with this brief lists control areas such as transparency, logging, or data minimization, then maps them to equivalent provisions in the four frameworks. For example, transparency requirements appear as Article 13 of the EU AI Act, the “Map” function in NIST AI RMF, GDPR Article 12 on information rights, and ISO 42001 Clause 8.3.2.

By aligning these side by side, compliance teams can produce a single set of artifacts — such as a purpose declaration or transparency notice — that satisfies multiple frameworks simultaneously. This reduces duplication and lowers audit costs.

Practical Benefits

Crosswalks also provide executive clarity. Instead of explaining four different frameworks separately, governance leads can point to unified controls that meet all obligations. This simplifies board reporting and strengthens the organization’s defensibility.

Conclusion

A framework crosswalk is not an optional extra but an essential governance tool. The CSV provided can be expanded to include additional frameworks or industry overlays. Starting with a simple mapping ensures organizations reduce compliance fatigue and focus on meaningful governance outcomes.

References

European Union. (2016). Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (General Data Protection Regulation). Official Journal of the European Union. Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679

European Union. (2024). Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (AI Act). Official Journal of the European Union. Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu

ISO. (2023). ISO/IEC 42001:2023 Information technology — Artificial intelligence — Management system. International Organization for Standardization.

National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2023). AI Risk Management Framework (NIST AI RMF 1.0). Gaithersburg, MD: NIST.