A field guide to AI positions

System card

Access & release.

Source is over 18 months old.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 1

Newest dated source: 2022-02-23

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

Open in the glossary Reading notes · Structured record

Prepared with AI assistance. Not independently fact-checked. Original sources and qualifications are below.

In plain language

A document about how the parts of an AI system work together and where its limits lie. It can become outdated as the product changes. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-system-card-1a5192ba3d7825ca26b24a72. Edition 0.20.0.

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Limits & distinctions

The term describes documentation, not an independently verified stamp of approval. Read its scope, date and limitations; a card about one version may not describe another. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-system-card-09422ce4d5c74cb753a9bb98. Edition 0.20.0.

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A fuller explanation

A system card can describe models, non-AI components, data flows and the way outputs affect a product. Meta’s proposal explains why a model’s behavior needs to be considered in the system where it is used. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-system-card-1e4c26398ee834b2e16dc7b8. Edition 0.20.0.

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How it relates to the map

Map context: system documentation helps readers inspect a product beyond an individual model. We do not infer an actor’s beliefs from the existence of a card. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Editorial interpretation or qualification. Claim ID: claim-term-system-card-25f52a21ad9f2e54a62ed1b2. Edition 0.20.0.

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Share this page

https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/system-card/

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Image previews are summaries. Keep the page link so readers can check the evidence.

Sources and what we read

  1. 1. System Cards, a new resource for understanding how AI systems work

    Meta AI · First-hand source · Published 2022-02-23 · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2022-02-23

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read the system-card proposal, its distinction from model cards and its limitations section. Meta describes its own approach; publication of a card is not an independent audit of the system.

    Source ID: glossary-wide-system-card

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

Pinned complete dataset · Complete evidence page · Agent consumption guide