ISO 42001: BARR Answers Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

ISO recently released ISO 42001, a new standard designed to help implement safeguards for the security, safety, privacy, fairness, transparency, and data quality of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. ISO 42001 includes best practices for an AI management system—otherwise known as AIMS—and was created to help organizations that use AI responsibly perform their roles in using, developing, monitoring, or providing products or services.

Completing an ISO 42001 gap assessment with BARR Advisory will help your organization understand what is required to achieve ISO 42001 certification and uncover potential nonconformities that your team can work to remediate before beginning the certification process.

Before you get started, we’ve answered the most common questions about ISO 42001.

Who should pursue ISO 42001 certification?

ISO 42001 was designed to serve organizations of all sizes and across all industries that participate in the use or development of AI-powered products and services. Additionally, organizations should consider ISO 42001 certification if they wish to demonstrate to internal and external stakeholders their ability to manage AI for decision-making, data analysis, or continuous learning.

What are the benefits of ISO 42001 compliance?

Achieving compliance with ISO 42001 not only offers a competitive advantage to AI-powered businesses, but also positions your organization as one that prioritizes the ethical and responsible use of AI. Designed to integrate with standards such as ISO 27001 and ISO 27701, the framework serves as a seamless and smart addition to a modern, comprehensive compliance program.

How long is an ISO 42001 certification valid?

Like other ISO/IEC cybersecurity frameworks, ISO 42001 certification remains valid for three years after the initial issuance date. In the interim, your organization will work with your chosen certification body to complete regular surveillance audits to maintain your certification.

How does ISO 42001 align with ISO 27001?

While the two frameworks differ widely in scope, there are some areas of overlap. The ISO 42001 framework pertains solely to AI management systems (AIMS). By contrast, ISO 27001 standards cover an organization’s information security management system (ISMS). Both, however, are designed to help organizations mitigate risks and promote security, privacy, and transparency with customers and stakeholders.

Is a gap assessment required to achieve certification?

While completing a gap assessment is not required to achieve ISO 42001 certification, it can reveal deficiencies in your AIMS ahead of time and make for a smoother, more predictable certification process.

BARR Advisory’s expert team can help you simplify the path to ISO 42001. We will assess your organization’s alignment with ISO 42001 standards and provide a detailed report attesting to their findings once you’ve made the decision to pursue ISO 42001 compliance. While not a formal certification, the resulting report will provide assurance to customers and stakeholders that your organization is staying ahead of the curve when it comes to the ethical and secure use of developing technologies like AI.