Artificial intelligence is transforming organizations across every sector. However, to adopt and deploy AI safely, ethically and responsibly, businesses need strong governance structures that inspire trust.
The world’s first AI management system standard, ISO/IEC 42001, provides a structured framework to manage AI risks, strengthen transparency, ensure accountability and support compliance with emerging legislation, including the EU AI Act.
Achieving certification demonstrates that your organization has robust controls in place for the development, deployment and ongoing management of AI systems, helping you build trust with customers, investors, partners and regulators.
Who can certify to ISO/IEC 42001?
ISO/IEC 42001 is relevant to any organization involved with AI, including the following:
AI developers and producers
Companies that design, build or train AI systems can use the standard to show they have processes in place to manage risks, data, models, testing, monitoring and ethical considerations throughout the lifecycle.
AI Providers and Integrators
Organizations that incorporate AI into products, services or platforms can demonstrate they manage suppliers, validate AI performance and safeguard system security and reliability.
AI Users and Enterprise Organizations
Businesses adopting AI, whether for automation, decision-making, analytics, customer experience or internal processes, can show they apply controls that ensure AI is used responsibly, with clear oversight, transparency and appropriate human involvement.
ISO/IEC 42001 is suitable for any organization working with AI, regardless of size, sector or technical maturity.
Benefits of ISO/IEC 42001 certification
Certification can help you to:
- Stand out in a competitive market by demonstrating responsible and trustworthy AI management
- Strengthen customer and stakeholder confidence in how you build and use AI technologies
- Support compliance with emerging regulations, including the EU AI Act
- Enhance your reputation for ethical, transparent and secure AI practices
- Improve governance and reduce risk through structured oversight and continuous improvement
- Strengthen your position in tenders and procurement frameworks, where trust and accountability in AI are increasingly required
- Create more robust and repeatable AI processes that support reliability and performance
- Build internal confidence and capability to adopt AI at scale
Six steps to implementing ISO/IEC 42001 with BSI
BSI recommends the following approach to help organizations navigate their certification journey with clarity and confidence.
Step 1: Understand the standard
Start by reviewing the BS ISO/IEC 42001:2023 standard to understand its objectives and core requirements. Companion standards such as ISO/IEC 22989 (AI concepts) and ISO/IEC 23894 (AI risk management) can also support your implementation.
Step 2: Establish leadership and governance
Ensure senior leaders are aligned and committed. Their involvement is essential for allocating resources, setting objectives and embedding a culture of responsible and accountable AI across the organization.
Step 3: Define your AI landscape and responsibilities
Map out where and how AI is used, produced or integrated within your organization. Identify your roles in the AI ecosystem, such as developer, provider, user or a combination, and review existing policies, processes and risks.
Step 4: Conduct a gap analysis and explore training options
Evaluate your current controls against the requirements of ISO/IEC 42001. This helps you to prioritise actions, identify gaps and begin shaping your Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS).
Many organizations choose to strengthen internal capability at this stage through BSI Academy training, including:
Pre-certification support
Before your formal audit, BSI can provide a Pre-certification Assessment, which is a structured review of your AIMS to identify strengths, improvement areas and overall readiness. This can significantly improve confidence and reduce the risk of unexpected findings during the certification audit.
Step 5: Build capability and implement your AIMS
Implement the policies, processes and controls required by the standard, covering governance, risk management, transparency, security, monitoring and continual improvement. Training and internal engagement help ensure that teams understand their roles and can operate the AIMS effectively.
Step 6: Verify, refine and prepare for certification
Carry out internal audits and management reviews to confirm your AIMS is functioning as intended. When ready, BSI conducts an independent assessment to verify compliance and support long-term improvement.
Why choose BSI for ISO/IEC 42001 certification
As a global leader in standards development and certification, BSI plays an active role in shaping the future of safe and responsible AI. Our auditors and technical experts bring deep knowledge across regulated industries, digital technologies and governance.
We support organizations through:
- Being the first certification body accredited by UKAS for ISO/IEC 42001 certification, combined with RvA accreditation in the Netherlands.
- A full training portfolio on AI, governance and ISO/IEC 42001
- Experienced auditors who understand both traditional management systems and emerging AI contexts
- Hybrid and remote auditing, as well as a network of worldwide auditors, allowing BSI to certify you to ISO/IEC 42001 regardless of location
- Global recognition and credibility that strengthens market trust – you will receive a BSI Mark of Trust showcasing your certification to ISO/IEC 42001. This can be used in your marketing materials, including email signatures, website, promotional literature and for tender documentation.
