On 18 December 2023, the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published the ISO/IEC 42001 – a voluntary standard that seeks to provide a process to establish, implement and continually improve AI Management Systems (AIMS) deployed by organisations.

A crucial development in the AI standards ecosystem, ISO 42001 is arguably the first process standard that provides a comprehensive governance framework to guide organisations towards trustworthy and responsible AI deployment. ISO/IEC 42001 operates as a voluntary standard, allowing organizations the flexibility to opt for certification of their Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS). It also offers auditability, providing the groundwork for external entities to certify and audit AI systems in alignment with the risk assessment framework proposed in the draft ISO/IEC 42006 standard. Moreover, ISO/IEC 42001 is designed to be scalable, making it relevant and applicable to organizations of varying sizes and across diverse sectors.