ISO/IEC 42001: plain-English guides for the people who operate it.

ISO/IEC 42001, explained. ISO/IEC 42001 is the world's first international, certifiable standard for an Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS). Published in December 2023, it gives organisations a structured framework for governing AI responsibly across its lifecycle, and uniquely it can be independently audited and certified by an accredited body. The standard is built on the familiar Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and the same high-level management-system shape as ISO 27001 and ISO 9001, so teams with existing governance recognise it immediately. It defines what an AI management system contains, leadership and policy, planning and risk assessment, support, operation, performance evaluation, and improvement, and pairs those clauses with a set of AI-specific controls in Annex A covering AI policy, the AI lifecycle, data for AI, transparency, and responsible use. Organisations adopt ISO 42001 for different reasons. AI vendors use it as a procurement signal, the equivalent of ISO 27001 for AI governance, that shortens enterprise sales cycles. Enterprises running many AI systems use it to bring consistency and a defensible governance posture across the business. Organisations in regulated sectors and those preparing for binding laws like the EU AI Act adopt it because the substance of the work overlaps and the certificate gives them independent proof. These guides are written for the people who have to operate the management system, not just describe it. The hub is organised into six sections: Introduction (what the standard is, who needs it, what an AIMS contains), Requirements (clauses and Annex A controls), Certification (process, cost, time, audit preparation), For vendors, For enterprise, and Comparisons against SOC 2 and the wider regulatory landscape.