SCC launches AI accreditation lessons learned report, prepares for full program rollout
Our AI accreditation pilot revealed essential insights that are now shaping the development of AI management systems accreditation and certification—find them in our newly published lessons learned report.
The report provides key insights from our successful pilot program that tested emerging AI management systems certification requirements. This groundbreaking initiative explores the application of the ISO/IEC 42001 artificial intelligence management system (AIMS) standard and its relationship with the conformity assessment of AI systems.
The report comes at a pivotal time, as AI systems continue to influence industries globally. It highlights valuable lessons from assessing both management systems and product-level AI applications, offering practical guidance as Canada prepares to implement the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA).
Key pilot findings
Our pilot involved key players, including Ernst & Young LLP (EY) as the conformity assessment body (CAB) and ATB Financial as the AI user, both of whom provided feedback that will shape the future of AI accreditation in Canada. Key lessons emerged from this work, such as clarifying the roles of CABs and understanding how sector-specific requirements impact AI governance.
We found that an AI management system like AIMS can enhance an organization’s ability to identify and mitigate AI-related risks. By combining organizational-level assessments with product-level reviews, the program opened up opportunities to improve AI governance and trustworthiness across multiple sectors, including financial services.
Our report also highlights the need for further guidance in this rapidly evolving field, particularly around managing third-party risks, compliance metrics, and the ever-changing landscape of AI technologies.
Insights from the Pilot: Perspectives from SCC and Industry Leaders
“This pilot was instrumental in helping us get ready for the rapid launch of our AI accreditation scheme. By testing the ISO/IEC 42001 AIMS standard early, we gained valuable insights that allowed us to fine-tune our approach and ensure we’re prepared to meet the needs of organizations as AI governance evolves. We’re excited to be moving toward the full rollout of our AIMS accreditation scheme and are now accepting expressions of interest as part of the pre-launch phase. This is a key opportunity for organizations to be part of shaping the future of AI governance and certification.”
— Elias Rafoul, Vice-President, Accreditation Services
"We’ve always aimed to align everything we do with the latest standards and best practices. But that’s been hard with our AI tools, because until now, there haven’t been any internationally recognized frameworks we could use to make sure we were doing things the right way — and assure our clients and stakeholders of that. Being a part of this project was an incredible opportunity to make sure we were on the right track and address any weaknesses as soon as possible. Improving AI governance is not a one-day process, so getting assessed against the standard early meant we could embed the learnings into our action plans for the coming year.
Although auditing and compliance verification is nothing new to ATB, I’ve never been involved with the standard development process. SCC was always right there to answer our questions, support us in our discussions with EY and the RAI Institute, connect us to the mirror committee, and provide guidance throughout the whole process.”
— Yukun Zhang, Director of AI Governance and Responsible AI, ATB Financial
Moving forward: Expressions of interest
As we move towards the full rollout of our AIMS accreditation program, we are now accepting expressions of interest from conformity assessment bodies as part of the pre-launch phase. This is an exciting opportunity for organizations to help shape the future of AI governance and play a role in Canada’s leadership in international AI standardization.
For more information on how to express interest or participate in this program, contact our team by reaching out to your account manager or email us at accreditation@scc-ccn.ca