A side-by-side comparison of Sandbox Plan and Real-World Testing Plan. It explains how an agreed regulatory sandbox document differs from a plan for testing an AI system under real-world conditions.
Quick Verdict: Use sandbox plan for agreed work inside a regulatory sandbox; use real-world testing plan for structured testing under real-world conditions.
Sandbox Plan defines agreed document between a participating provider and a competent authority that defines activities within a regulatory sandbox.
Context: Most relevant when a provider participates in an AI regulatory sandbox with a competent authority.
Real-World Testing Plan defines document that defines how an AI system will be tested under real-world conditions.
Context: Most relevant when an AI system will be evaluated with real users, environments, or operating conditions.
| Aspect | Sandbox Plan | Real-World Testing Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory purpose | A sandbox plan structures activities within a regulatory sandbox agreed with a competent authority. | A real-world testing plan structures how an AI system will be tested under real-world conditions. |
| Trigger point | It is triggered by participation in a sandbox and the need to define agreed objectives and conditions. | It is triggered by the decision to test the AI system in real-world settings. |
| Required evidence | Evidence should include agreed objectives, methodology, conditions, timeframe, requirements, authority involvement, and sandbox boundaries. | Evidence should include test objectives, methodology, population, geographic scope, monitoring, organization, conduct, and safeguards. |
| Responsible actor | The participating provider and competent authority are central to defining and agreeing the plan. | The organization conducting or controlling real-world testing must define the plan and responsible operational roles. |
| Audit implication | Auditors will check whether activities stayed within the agreed sandbox scope and conditions. | Auditors will check whether real-world testing followed the approved plan, monitoring arrangements, and safeguards. |
In practice, sandbox participation can include or inform real-world testing, but the documents should not be merged casually. Each plan has different approval, evidence, and monitoring expectations.
Using a sandbox plan as a substitute for a detailed real-world testing plan
Treating real-world testing as ordinary deployment without defined safeguards
Failing to document scope, timeframe, methodology, and monitoring arrangements
Use Sandbox Plan when describing the agreed document for activities within an AI regulatory sandbox. It is the right term when the competent authority and sandbox conditions are central to the governance record.
Use Real-World Testing Plan when describing how an AI system will be tested under real-world conditions. It is the right term when the focus is test design, scope, monitoring, and operational safeguards.
Under EU AI Act-style governance, both documents support controlled experimentation but answer different compliance questions. A sandbox plan governs the sandbox arrangement, while a real-world testing plan governs the design and conduct of real-world testing.
It can relate to real-world testing if the sandbox arrangement includes such activities, but the real-world testing plan should still define the operational testing details.
A sandbox plan is an agreed document between a participating provider and a competent authority. That authority involvement distinguishes it from an ordinary internal test plan.
It defines how testing will occur under real-world conditions, including scope, monitoring, methodology, and safeguards. This prevents testing from becoming uncontrolled deployment.
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