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AI Governance in practice

ISO/IEC 42001

In a nutshell

The certifiable international standard for setting up an artificial intelligence management system in an organisation, published in December 2023.

ISO/IEC 42001 is the first international standard for AI management systems. It was published in December 2023 and follows the same structure as other well-known management standards such as ISO 9001 (quality) or ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), so it integrates easily with them.

It asks the organisation to define its AI policy, assign roles, assess risks and impacts, control the system life cycle, manage suppliers and continuously improve. Unlike the AI Act it is voluntary, but it is certifiable by an external body, which makes it a good credential with clients.

ISO/IEC 42001 certification does not equal AI Act compliance, but it covers much of the organisational work the regulation requires (risk management, quality system, documentation).

Read more: ISO 42001 vs NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 23894.

Reference: ISO/IEC 42001:2023

Related terms

NIST AI RMFQuality management system (AI)Risk management system (AI)
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← Back to the glossaryUpdated: October 2026 · Informational content, not legal advice.