The comprehensive framework for responsible AI governance in business
PALO (Principled AI Lifecycle Orchestration) is an open-source framework designed to help organizations navigate the complexities of AI governance, ethics, and compliance. Built with the EU AI Act in mind, PALO provides practical tools, assessments, and resources for responsible AI deployment. the PALO framework for AI ethics and governance is a distinct initiative primarily associated with AI ethics and governance expert Fabrizio Degni. It is not directly synonymous with the AI risk management frameworks offered by any other cybersecurity company like Palo Alto Networks, which focuses more specifically on securing AI systems against cyber threats and building AI-driven security offerings.
It covers a wide range of considerations, including fairness, bias, sustainability, human agency, and legal contexts, rather than addressing them in isolation.
The framework goes beyond mere AI deployment, encompassing the entire lifecycle from initial ideation, development, deployment, continuous monitoring, evolution, and eventual decommissioning.
It harmonizes with and acts as a practical crosswalk for major global standards and regulations, such as ISO, IEEE, the OECD AI Principles, and the EU AI Act.
The framework focuses on measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure accountability and track the real-world performance and ethical impact of AI systems.
It utilizes a "PALO Business Model Canvas" that reframes AI planning to prioritize principled responsibility over immediate ROI, helping organizations assess ethical, legal, and technical risks before building AI initiatives. Operationalization: The goal is to provide a traceable and auditable methodology for organizations to operationalize their AI governance and risk management
| Challenge | PALO Solution |
|---|---|
| 🏛️ EU AI Act compliance uncertainty | Step-by-step FRIA assessment tool |
| ⚖️ AI risk classification confusion | Interactive Risk Tiering Calculator |
| 📊 Governance metrics gaps | AI KPI Generator with PALO-aligned metrics |
| 🧠 Human agency erosion concerns | Human Agency Risk Map observatory |
| 📈 Industry trends blind spots | 2026 Tech Trends Observatory with gap analysis |
- Complete PALO Framework v1.0 PDF (108 pages)
- Governance principles and implementation guidelines
- EU AI Act alignment matrix
| Tool | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🛡️ FRIA Assessment | Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment wizard | ✅ Live |
| ⚖️ Risk Tiering Calculator | Classify AI use cases into EU AI Act risk tiers | ✅ Live |
| 📊 KPI Generator | Generate AI governance KPIs aligned with PALO | ✅ Live |
| 🎨 Model Canvas | Visual AI project planning canvas | ✅ Live |
| 🔄 Compare Tool | Compare AI governance frameworks | ✅ Live |
| Observatory | Description |
|---|---|
| 🧠 Human Agency Risk Map | 18 activities humans are delegating to AI, with mitigation strategies |
| 📊 2026 Tech Trends | Analysis of 7 consulting firms' predictions with PALO governance gaps |
Simply navigate to paloframework.org
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/paloframework/palo.git
# Navigate to directory
cd palo
# Open in browser (no build required - static HTML)
open index.html
# or
python3 -m http.server 8000palo/
├── 📄 index.html # Homepage
├── 🛡️ PALO_FRIA.html # FRIA Assessment Tool
├── ⚖️ PALO_RiskTiering.html # Risk Tiering Calculator
├── 📊 PALO_KPIGenerator.html # KPI Generator
├── 🎨 PALO_ModelCanvasAI.html # AI Model Canvas
├── 🔄 PALO_ComparisonTool.html # Framework Comparison
├── 🧠 PALO_HumanAgencyRiskMap.html # Human Agency Observatory (EN)
├── 🧠 PALO_HumanAgencyRiskMap_IT.html # Human Agency Observatory (IT)
├── 📈 PALO_TechTrends2026.html # 2026 Tech Trends Observatory
│
├── 📂 assets/ # Static assets
│ ├── logo.webp
│
├── 📂 framework/ # Framework documentation
│ └── TBR
│
├── 📂 insights/ # Research & data sources
│ ├── ...
│
├── 📂 json/ # Data exports
│ └── palo-canvas-template.json
│
├── 📂 .github/ # GitHub configurations
│ ├── workflows/
│ │ └── deploy.yml
│ ├── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
│ └── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
│
├── 📄 robots.txt # SEO
├── 📄 sitemap.xml # SEO
├── 📄 feed.xml # RSS Feed
├── 📄 accessibility.html # Accessibility statement
├── 📄 privacy-policy.html # Privacy policy
├── 📄 security-policy.html # Security policy
│
├── 📄 README.md # This file
├── 📄 CONTRIBUTING.md # Contribution guidelines
├── 📄 CHANGELOG.md # Version history
├── 📄 LICENSE # MIT License
└── 📄 SECURITY.md # Security policy
Our latest observatory analyzes predictions from 7 leading consulting firms:
| Firm | Report | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| McKinsey | Tech Trends Outlook 2025 | Agentic AI, 13 frontier trends |
| BCG | Geopolitical Forces 2026 | 6 competitive arenas |
| Accenture | Macro Brief 2026 | AI productivity divide |
| PwC | AI Business Predictions | Responsible AI, ROI focus |
| EY | Megatrends 2026 | Human-machine hybrid era |
| KPMG | CEO Outlook 2025 | AI adoption, workforce |
| Gartner | Top 10 Tech Trends | Security, multiagent systems |
PALO reveals what mainstream consulting narratives miss:
| Governance Area | Industry Coverage | PALO Insight |
|---|---|---|
| Human Agency | 28% | Only EY/PwC address oversight |
| AI Ethics | 14% | Only PwC operationalizes ethics |
| Explainability | 28% | No EU AI Act transparency guidance |
| Regulatory Compliance | 42% | Treated as barrier, not opportunity |
We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines.
- 🐛 Report bugs and issues
- 💡 Suggest new features or tools
- 📝 Improve documentation
- 🌍 Add translations (Italian version available)
- 🔧 Submit pull requests
- Human Agency Risk Map
- 2026 Tech Trends Observatory
- Italian localization for all tools
- Dark mode theme
- AI Incident Database integration
- Automated FRIA report generation
- API for tool integrations
- Mobile-responsive redesign
- Multi-language support (DE, FR, ES)
- Community forum
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
- EU AI Act working groups for regulatory guidance
- Open-source community for inspiration
- All contributors and users of the PALO Framework
- 🌐 Website: paloframework.org
- 🐦 Linkedin: Fabrizio Degni - Linkedin
- 📧 Email: info@paloframework.org
- 🐦 X: @PALOFramework
Made with ❤️ for an ethical and responsible AI governance