Introducing - ISO/IEC 42001.2023 the AI Management system (AMIS), a strategic leap to AI driven business growth.
These day’s it seems that everyone is looking at why and how to leverage AI into their business! It’s a new gold rush. For any business or organisation that is starting to build GPT-bots or agents within their operations, this is enough to warrant introducing an AI management system.
That is why internationally, recognised. ISO/IEC 42001.2023 was created.
This isn’t another compliance hurdle - it’s the framework that lets businesses innovate at speed and scale while proving to customers, regulators, and investors that our AI is ethical, secure, and future-proof.
This article is an overview of the ISO 42001 standard. A concise ISO explainer video (6 min) on the ISO YouTube channel walks through the essentials, from “What is an AIMS?”.
Published December 2023, ISO/IEC 42001 is the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS)standard. It plugs AI-specific controls into the familiar plan-do-check-act cycle, giving leaders a common language for AI risk, accountability and opportunity.
Why AI needs its management system (AIMS)
AI doesn’t sit still: models retrain, data shifts and regulators scramble to catch up. Traditional quality or security standards can’t keep pace with:
Continuous learning & model drift, a model that was safe yesterday can misbehave tomorrow.
Opacity and bias, stakeholders need to see how a decision was made and prove it was fair.
Regulatory flux, the EU AI Act, UK AI Regulation roadmap and sector codes demand demonstrable governance.
Ignoring these realities risks reputational damage and costs that's why it is critical for business leaders to act now before AIMS becomes a legal requirement.
Who is the standard for?
You are starting your own AI journey and want a framework to guide you
You want to demonstrate to customers suppliers, partners, and employees that you are deploying and responsibly using AI
You want to prepare for existing and new regulatory initiatives.
You want to mitigate risks within your organisation
You want to mitigate the risks of external stakeholders, customers and society using your AI systems.
What’s inside the standard
AI use and leadership Map where AI touches your business and assign board-level accountability. This will prevent “shadow AI” project, keep C-suite/senior management in control and accountable.
Planning & risk - Formal risk assessment plus opportunity scanning. for low risk business use cases. This ensures innovation isn’t choked by blanket AI bans.
Support - Data quality, skills, and documented transparency obligations. The standards demand evidence at all points during the development and implementation process.
Operation - Secure development, bias testing, human oversight and incident response. Turns responsible AI principles into daily practice.
Performance & improvement - KPIs, audits and continual learning loops. Catches AI drift before customers do.
Key business benefits for SME business leaders
Investor & customer trust – improve governance without drafting bespoke policies
Regulatory readiness – map ISO controls straight onto the UK AI regulation proposals and upcoming EU AI Act obligations.
Cost-effective compliance – leverage existing ISO 9001 or 27001 structures; no green-field bureaucracy required.
Differentiate your business from the competition
Innovation licence – risk-based controls mean you can pilot GenAI tools safely instead of imposing blanket bans.
Practical Steps to Start
If you’re unsure where to begin, here’s a simple 5-step entry point:
Assemble an AI team
Run an AI audit of current use and gap analysis
List the tools in use, who uses them, and for what tasks
Create a risk register and update it reguarly
Record where AI is used, potential downsides, and who’s responsible
Train employees on AI fundamentals.
A short session can build awareness and reduce risky behaviour
Create a high-level road map to your AI journey -
Implementing good AI governance is not an overnight task. Expect it to take up to 3-6 months, depending on the size of your business and organisation.
Bottom line
AI is too powerful, and too risky, to manage ad-hoc. ISO/IEC 42001 offers a pragmatic, internationally recognised playbook that lets SMEs balance bold innovation with board-level assurance.
Ready to Act?
Whether you’re just getting started, or ready to go deeper, we can help.
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Half-day work-shop covering AI foundations.
Basic AI governance policy
High-level Roadmap
If you are ready to move beyond ad hoc AI use.
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High-level Roadmap
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