UKAS development project: accreditation for AI Management Systems certification (AIMS)

About ISO/IEC 42001

ISO/IEC 42001:2023 is a groundbreaking international standard for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS). As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, businesses and society increasingly rely on AI technologies for efficiency, innovation, and decision-making. However, its rapid expansion has also raised significant concerns around ethics, safety, transparency, and trust in is development and use.?

Accreditation of certification to the ISO/IEC 42001 AI management systems standard provides confidence that organisations developing and implementing AI systems have met rigorous internationally recognised standards in respect to their management controls and governance frameworks for AI technologies. By setting global best practices for managing AI, ISO/IEC 42001 plays a pivotal role in taking into consideration the ethical development and use as well as reliability and transparency alignment with societal values.??

Associated standards

The pilot accreditation project for ISO/IEC 42001 leverages key international standards:?

• ISO/IEC 42001:2023: This standard provides a framework for organisations to design, implement, and maintain effective Artificial Intelligence Management Systems. It addresses the governance, operational controls, and risk management processes needed to ensure AI is developed and deployed responsibly and efficiently.?

• ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015: This standard outlines requirements for certification bodies conducting audits and providing certifications for management systems. Specifically, it ensures certification bodies have the competence, impartiality, and consistency needed to deliver credible certification services.?

• ISO/IEC 42006 DIS: This standard is being developed and when published will provide a supplemental framework to ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 against which Certification Bodies will need to operate for the technical aspects when delivering certification to ISO/IEC 42001.??

Together, these standards form the foundation for a robust certification and accreditation framework, enabling trust in AI-driven systems and supporting global alignment on responsible AI use.?

Current status

UKAS is conducting a pilot accreditation programme for ISO/IEC 42001. This project involves the following certification bodies?from our existing customer base, all of whom are collaborating with the UKAS Development Team to explore and refine the accreditation process for this emerging standard.?

• Alcumus ISOQAR Limited?

• 英国标准协会 Assurance UK Ltd?

• Intertek Certification Ltd?

• LRQA Limited?

• NQA Certification?

• Schellman Compliance LLC?

• TüV UK Limited ?

The pilot aims to identify the optimal approach for assessing certification bodies against ISO/IEC 42001 and related requirements. Through rigorous evaluation and stakeholder engagement, UKAS is working to establish an effective methodology that will ensure accreditation is reliable, consistent, as well as providing trust and confidence to the user.?

Once the pilot programme is complete and the assessment approach is finalised, UKAS will begin granting initial accreditations. This milestone will mark the start of a new era in the accreditation of AI management systems, providing organisations with a trusted pathway to demonstrate their commitment to ethical and effective AI practices.?