Standards Implementation

ASCB guidance on auditing and certifying AI management systems (ISO/IEC 42001)

What ASCB’s guidance for certification bodies auditing ISO/IEC 42001 covers, who it is for, and how accredited bodies access it.

On this page

    Standard status

    Current published edition
    ISO/IEC 42001:2023 (first edition, published December 2023)
    Assessments conducted against
    The 2023 edition.
    Scheme type
    Management systems (artificial intelligence)

    ASCB publishes high-level guidance for certification bodies that audit and certify AI management systems to ISO/IEC 42001. The full guidance is available to ASCB-accredited bodies as a signed-in download from this section. This page summarizes what it covers so that applicants and other readers know what sits behind ASCB-accredited ISO/IEC 42001 certification.

    What the guidance covers

    The guidance flags where ISO/IEC TS 42006, the scheme-specific standard for bodies certifying AI management systems, adds requirements on top of ISO/IEC 17021-1. It covers:

    • impartiality considerations specific to AI certification
    • auditor competence
    • audit time
    • remote auditing
    • certificate content
    • multi-site certification

    Who it is for

    Certification bodies accredited by ASCB for ISO/IEC 42001, and bodies seeking that accreditation. For buyers and other readers, it is part of the documented basis on which ASCB-accredited ISO/IEC 42001 certification operates.

    Does the guidance add requirements?

    No. The guidance adds no requirements of its own; it signposts where ISO/IEC TS 42006 adds requirements on top of ISO/IEC 17021-1, and both of those are published standards. Accreditation remains an assessment against the published requirements.

    How to access it

    Accredited bodies: sign in and download the guidance from this section. Bodies considering accreditation to certify other organizations against ISO/IEC 42001, under ISO/IEC 17021-1: the route, fees and application documents are on Become Accredited.