How do regulators audit algorithms?

Lens adapted to this topic: Critical scrutiny of audits

A critical perspective argues that formal audit requirements can produce weak assurance when standards, incentives, access, or enforcement are inadequate. An audit may be unable to test the most important risks if evaluators receive only limited information, and inconsistent methodologies can allow the same system to pass or fail depending on the auditor. This view presses regulators to specify access, independence, reporting, and consequences.

• Without common standards, accreditation, and meaningful government oversight, audit quality may vary substantially and findings may be difficult to compare or enforce.
• An audit requirement can become largely symbolic if evaluators lack access to relevant model internals, training data, or sufficient testing time.
• Red-teaming or output testing alone may not establish broader governance or safety claims, especially when the evidence cannot verify the property being asserted.
• Regulatory inspection methods have different strengths and weaknesses, so the method must be matched to the intended finding rather than treated as universally sufficient.

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