Sustainability & AI
ISO/IEC 42001
The international standard for AI management systems, specifying requirements for organisations developing or using AI.
Definition
The first international management-system standard for artificial intelligence (ISO/IEC 42001:2023), specifying requirements for organisations that develop, provide or use AI systems.
Quick reference
At a glance
- Subject
- Sustainability & AI
- Editorial status
- Editorial draft
- Definition status
- Established
- Last updated
- 21 August 2026
References
This source provides part of the technical or institutional basis for the definition.
Overview
What it means
Published in December 2023, the standard follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act structure familiar from ISO 9001 and ISO 14001: it requires an AI policy, risk and impact assessment processes, life-cycle controls and supplier oversight, integrated into organisational management rather than attached to individual models.
How it is used
Organisations implement and certify AI management systems against the standard — cloud and software providers were early adopters — using it to demonstrate governance maturity to customers and regulators, including as scaffolding for EU AI Act compliance.
Why it matters
ISO/IEC 42001 turns 'responsible AI' from a values statement into auditable management practice. For assurance professionals, it supplies the reference point that makes AI governance assessable — the same role ISO 14001 long played for environmental management.
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