ISO 42001 Training and Certification Guide
Your complete guide to ISO 42001: what the standard is, how personnel and business certification differ, the training levels, and the Exemplar Global Certified courses that take you from Foundation to Lead Auditor.
Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS)
Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS)
Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS)
What is ISO 42001?
ISO 42001 is the first international standard for an Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS). It sets out the requirements an organisation follows to govern its artificial intelligence responsibly, balancing innovation with accountability across the full AI life cycle.
Built on the harmonised high level structure, ISO 42001 applies to any organisation that provides or uses AI systems, of any size or sector. Certification is awarded by an accredited certification body after a successful audit of the organisation's AI management system.
Who ISO 42001 training is for
- AI and data governance leads
- Risk and compliance managers
- Internal auditors and anyone preparing for a certification audit
- Consultants advising clients on ISO 42001
- Professionals moving into a Lead Auditor role
The standard in brief
What ISO 42001 covers
ISO 42001 follows the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle across clauses 4 to 10. Here is what each part covers.
Context of the organisation
Understand your organisation, the interested parties, your role with respect to AI systems, and the scope of the AI management system.
Leadership
Top management commitment, the AI policy, and clear roles and responsibilities for responsible AI.
Planning
Carry out the AI risk assessment, the AI system impact assessment, and the Statement of Applicability that selects the Annex A controls.
Support
Resources, competence, awareness, communication, and documented information.
Operation
Run the AI management controls and keep risk and impact assessments current across the AI life cycle.
Performance evaluation
Monitor, measure, audit internally, and review the system at management level.
Improvement
Handle nonconformities, take corrective action, and continually improve.
Why it matters
Benefits of ISO 42001
What organisations and professionals gain from working to ISO 42001.
- Govern artificial intelligence responsibly and with clear accountability
- Manage AI risk and the impact of AI systems on individuals and society
- Meet emerging AI regulation and growing client expectations
- Build trust in your AI systems with customers and interested parties
- Win contracts and tenders that increasingly ask for AI governance
- A culture of continual improvement in how AI is developed and used
Clearing up a common mix up
Personnel certification vs business certification
People often confuse the two. They are different things, earned by different parties, and only one is a person.
Personnel certification
Certifies the individual.
- Earned by a person, not a company
- Recognised by Exemplar Global
- Proves you can audit to the standard
- The path our courses prepare you for
Business certification
Certifies the organisation.
- Earned by a company, not a person
- Issued by a certification body such as Intertek or SAI Global
- Proves the management system conforms to ISO 42001
- Maintained through surveillance audits
Audit Workshop trains and certifies people. We do not certify organisations, we prepare the people who build and audit them.
Organisations are certified to ISO 42001 by accredited certification bodies such as Intertek, SAI Global, BSI, SGS, and DNV, working under accreditation bodies like JAS-ANZ. Audit Workshop trains the people; the certification body certifies the organisation.
Training levels
From Foundation to Lead Auditor
Three levels that build on each other. Start where your experience sits and climb from there.
Foundation
New to the standard
Understand ISO 42001 and how a compliant management system works. The starting point, no prior experience needed.
Internal Auditor
Audit your own organisation
Plan and conduct internal audits following the ISO 19011 auditing guidelines.
Lead Auditor
Lead certification style audits
Audit programme management, Stage 1 and Stage 2, findings, and the certification recommendation.
The auditor's role
What an auditor is responsible for
Auditing is a profession with its own principles. Our courses teach you to work to all of them, guided by ISO 19011.
Integrity
Audit with professionalism, honesty, and responsibility.
Fair presentation
Report findings truthfully, accurately, and clearly.
Due professional care
Apply diligence and sound judgement in every audit.
Confidentiality
Protect the information you access during an audit.
Independence
Stay impartial and objective, free of conflicts of interest.
Evidence based
Reach conclusions from verifiable audit evidence.
Good to know
Common confusions, cleared up
The questions people most often get wrong before they enrol, answered straight.
Do we need to build our own AI to be in scope?
No. ISO 42001 applies to any organisation that provides or uses AI systems. An organisation using an AI powered tool is in scope just as much as one that develops AI.
Is ISO 42001 the same as the EU AI Act?
No. The EU AI Act is law in its jurisdiction, while ISO 42001 is a voluntary management system standard. Holding ISO 42001 is widely recognised as a way to demonstrate conformance with many AI regulatory requirements.
Does my Certificate of Attainment expire?
No. Your certificate does not expire. If you later hold Exemplar Global Personnel Certification, that credential is maintained separately with Exemplar Global.
Can I start at Lead Auditor?
Yes, if you are already comfortable with ISO 42001. If the standard is new to you, start at Foundation and build up through Internal Auditor to Lead Auditor.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about ISO 42001 training and certification.
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