Three grades of competence to audit artificial-intelligence management systems, recognized through evidence of real work — not an exam — and open to lookup in a live registry.
Scheme v1.0 · 2026-06-29 · IAC verifies and recognizes under its own scheme · it does not accredit or certify
IAC verifies evidence and recognizes competence under its own published scheme; it does not accredit or certify the person. This scheme is neither an ISO standard nor a formal accreditation, nor a certification of persons under ISO/IEC 17024. It recognizes competence demonstrated through real work and keeps it open to lookup in a live registry.
The field is new, and demand is growing faster than genuine competence. Calling yourself an auditor of AI management systems is not enough: you have to be able to prove it with real work — to whoever commissions the audit and to whoever trusts its outcome. Trust is demonstrated, not declared.
The scheme recognizes a person's competence to audit artificial-intelligence management systems: to plan the audit, gather and evaluate evidence, write findings and, at the top grade, lead the team and sign the report. What is recognized is the auditor's competence — not the conformity of the audited organization, nor the technical quality of any AI model.
The primary basis is ISO/IEC 42001:2023, the standard for AI management systems. The EU AI Act and the NIST AI RMF are taken as regulatory and methodological references — each treated as what it is.
The grade is recognized through evidence of having audited or governed AI systems, not through an exam. An exam would be a declaration disguised as proof.
Every credential is born with a code and a status anyone can look up. Anyone can verify grade, scope, standard, scheme edition and validity — without asking us for permission.
The credential is a three-grade ladder over the AI domain. The rule that governs it: the standard sets the subject; the evidence sets the grade.
Competence to audit the AI management system from inside the organization. Audits its own system; contributes, does not lead third-party audits.
Competence to audit as part of a third-party team. Works within the audit team; executes, does not sign alone.
Competence to lead the team and sign the report. Runs the audit, decides findings, signs. The top.
The candidate builds a file of real, traceable work. Recorded training is background, never a grade: a course shows that a person studied, not that they audited.
Internal or third-party audits, with the candidate's role clearly identified.
Risk assessments the candidate produced or reviewed.
Documented review of a high-risk use case: reading Annex III and placing the obligations that apply.
Having led or contributed to an implementation, distinguishing the role: the consulting track does not qualify you to audit.
Participation in committees or governance functions: minutes, appointments, risk-treatment plans.
Logbooks, anonymized extracts, team-lead statements, and plans or reports put to the test.
There are two doors to the credential. Both end in the same registry, with the same verb; they differ by who assessed the competence.
Have you already been assessed by a body whose method IAC validated?
IAC validates the method of the training or assessment body — its rubric, its evidence, its separation of duties — not its brand. Whoever was assessed under a validated method enters the registry without being re-assessed, with a pointer to the originating assessment. It is an open standard: any body whose method passes the public criteria enters through the same door.
Coming on your own, with no validated method behind you?
IAC assesses directly: self-diagnosis, application, evidence upload, integrity check before charging, documentary and active assessment, independent decision and registry. The signature is placed by someone who neither assessed nor trained the candidate.
The credential states holder, grade, standard, scope, scheme edition, status and date. Any third party resolves the code in the IAC verifier and sees the live record. It is also issued as an Open Badges 3.0 / W3C Verifiable Credential, signed with Ed25519, so its issuance and integrity can be checked cryptographically.
If a printed card contradicts the record, the record prevails: paper is not the source of truth — the registry is.
How a credential is verifiedThe scheme's credibility depends on stating its limits precisely. A scheme that inflates itself loses exactly the value it means to create.
It states what it verifies — the competence of an auditor of AI management systems, demonstrated through real work — and not an inch more.
Tap each question to see the answer.
If you have audited or governed AI systems and can prove it with real work, the scheme recognizes your grade and keeps it open to lookup in the registry.
Scheme v1.0 · 2026-06-29 · IAC verifies and recognizes under its own scheme · it does not accredit or certify
