As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, understanding the roles within the AI lifecycle— production, development, provision, and use—is crucial for organizations involved in AI development, deployment, and usage to manage risk effectively and obtain ISO/IEC 42001 certification.
These roles are defined in the ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO/IEC 22989 standards, which offer a clear breakdown of the key responsibilities within the AI ecosystem. By adopting ISO compliance, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to responsible AI development and usage. This can enhance trust with stakeholders, mitigate risks, and improve overall performance.
Each role is distinct, so it is important to understand their contributions and responsibilities to ensure the creation, implementation, and application of AI systems meet the organization’s goals while maintaining high standards of reliability and performance.
What Is ISO 42001?
The ISO 42001 standard provides guidance for successful development and use of an Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS), including creating and documenting effective policies, processes, and controls. An ISO 42001 certification audit will examine several areas, including AI-specific ethical, security, and operational considerations, system lifecycle management, performance optimization, documentation, and others.
To achieve ISO/IEC 42001 certification, an organization needs to be able to define their role within the AI ecosystem. An organization can perform more than one of the roles listed below.
AI Producer
An AI producer is an organization or entity responsible for designing, developing, testing, and deploying products or services that use one or more AI systems. This role involves the full lifecycle of AI creation, from conceptualizing the AI model to putting it into practical use in real-world applications. AI producers are critical in ensuring AI systems are not only functional, but also meet specified performance and ethical guidelines.
AI Developer
The AI developer role is a subset of the AI producer, focusing specifically on the creation and implementation of AI models. This role breaks down into several specialized sub-roles, each contributing to the development and operationalization of AI:
- Model designer: Responsible for creating AI models from data and problem specifications. The model designer analyzes the problem and identifies the best machine learning or AI approach to solve it, translating data inputs into actionable models.
- Model implementer: Executes the computation on specific resources, such as CPUs or GPUs, ensuring the AI model is deployed in the correct computing environment for optimal performance. Model implementers focus on the practical aspects of running the AI model efficiently.
- Computation verifier: Ensures computations related to the AI system are executed as intended. This role involves verifying that the computational processes produce accurate results in line with the AI model’s design.
- Model verifier: Focuses on verifying that the AI model behaves as designed, ensuring it meets expected performance and operational standards. The model verifier conducts thorough testing and validation to guarantee the AI model functions correctly in production environments.
Together, these sub-roles ensure AI models are designed and implemented effectively, and are reliable and accurate when deployed.
AI Provider
An AI provider focuses on enabling access to AI technologies for other organizations, either by offering AI platforms or delivering specific AI services or products. This role is essential for making AI technologies widely available and supporting stakeholders in building, deploying, and using AI.
Sub-roles include:
- AI platform provider: Provides the infrastructure or services necessary for other organizations to produce AI services or products. This role is critical for organizations that need the tools and platforms to develop their own AI solutions but do not build the infrastructure themselves. For example, cloud-based AI platforms provide development environments for companies to create AI models and applications.
- AI service/product provider: Delivers AI services or products directly to customers or users, either as standalone AI solutions or as part of a larger system. This provider ensures AI solutions are ready for deployment and use, offering technologies that are either pre-packaged or customizable for specific client needs.
AI User
An AI user is any organization or entity that uses AI products or services, either directly or as part of its operations. AI users leverage AI to automate processes, gain insights, improve decision-making, or enhance products and services. This role encompasses a wide range of activities, from companies using AI-driven software for internal operations to those deploying AI in customer-facing solutions.
AI users rely on the outputs of AI systems, without necessarily being involved in the technical development of those systems. They focus on applying AI tools and services to improve organizational efficiency, product quality, or service delivery. In doing so, they play a crucial role in realizing the benefits of AI technologies across various industries.
Defining the AI Lifecycle Roles
Understanding the specific roles within the AI lifecycle is vital for organizations involved in any part of AI development, provision, or use. The AI producer designs and deploys AI models, with the AI developer playing a key role in implementing and verifying these models. The AI provider enables access to AI services and platforms, while the AI user applies these technologies to achieve operational and business goals.
By defining these roles clearly, organizations can collaborate, allocate resources, and streamline their AI strategies more effectively and facilitate ISO 42001 compliance. Whether building an AI model, offering AI services, or using AI solutions, each role is essential to the broader AI ecosystem.
With AI continuing to evolve, the distinctions between these roles will help organizations manage their AI initiatives more effectively, ensuring that AI technologies are developed, delivered, and applied in ways that maximize their potential impact.
To learn more about ISO compliance within AI applications, contact us.
