Episode 45 — Plan for vendor outages and safe degraded modes in AI systems (Task 17)
This episode covers Task 17 by teaching how to plan for vendor outages and safe degraded modes, because many AI deployments depend on external model services, and AAISM scenarios often hinge on whether you can keep operations safe when a vendor fails or changes behavior unexpectedly. You’ll define “safe degraded mode” as an intentionally designed fallback that reduces functionality while preserving confidentiality, integrity, and acceptable decision quality, such as disabling automated actions, restricting sensitive queries, switching to cached content, or routing to human review. We’ll use a scenario where a vendor model endpoint becomes unavailable during peak usage, and you’ll practice deciding what the system should do, how to communicate limitations to users, and how to prevent risky behavior like bypassing guardrails or logging sensitive content to uncontrolled locations during troubleshooting. Best practices include pre-approved failover decisions, vendor dependency mapping, periodic testing, and documented criteria for returning from degraded to normal operation. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.
