Demonstrable Alignment with the EU AI Act and OECD AI Principles

Trust AI Essentials is an organisational-level AI governance certification designed to help organisations demonstrate alignment with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and the OECD AI Principles through a structured, auditable assurance framework.

As AI regulation accelerates globally, organisations are no longer asked whether they govern AI responsibly — they are asked to prove it.

Trust AI Essentials provides that proof.

Why Trust AI Essentials Matters Now

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than governance, regulation, and accountability frameworks can keep pace.

Regulators, customers, investors, and procurement authorities increasingly expect organisations to show evidence of:

  • Lawful and responsible AI use
  • Clear accountability for AI oversight
  • Risk identification and mitigation
  • Transparency and governance controls

The EU AI Act formalises these expectations. Trust AI Essentials translates them into practical, organisational assurance.

Alignment with the EU AI Act

Trust AI Essentials is designed to align with the governance, risk management, and accountability requirements of the EU AI Act, including expectations around:

  • AI governance and oversight structures
  • Risk management and impact awareness
  • Human accountability and decision-making responsibility
  • Documentation, transparency, and traceability
  • Lifecycle governance and continuous review

While Trust AI Essentials does not replace legal compliance obligations, it provides clear, auditable evidence that an organisation has implemented the governance foundations required by the EU AI Act.

This makes it particularly valuable for:

  • Organisations preparing for AI Act compliance
  • Organisations operating or supplying into the EU
  • Organisations responding to regulatory or customer assurance requests

Alignment with OECD AI Principles

Trust AI Essentials is also aligned with the OECD AI Principles, which underpin many global AI governance frameworks and regulations.

The certification maps organisational controls against principles including:

  • Accountability for AI outcomes
  • Transparency and explainability
  • Robustness, security, and safety
  • Respect for human rights and fairness
  • Responsible stewardship of AI systems

This alignment ensures Trust AI Essentials remains globally relevant, not limited to a single jurisdiction.

What Trust AI Essentials Certifies

Trust AI Essentials certifies that an organisation has established baseline governance controls for AI across key domains, including:

  • Leadership accountability for AI governance
  • Defined AI policies and governance frameworks
  • Risk identification and impact awareness processes
  • Data protection, security, and resilience considerations
  • Transparency, documentation, and record-keeping practices
  • Ethical use and responsible AI principles
  • Incident awareness and escalation readiness
  • Ongoing review and continuous improvement

The focus is on organisational governance readiness, not technical model performance.

Certification Model

Trust AI Essentials follows a verified self-assessment model, providing a pragmatic and scalable entry point into formal AI governance assurance.

Key Features

  • Organisational-level certification
  • Evidence-based self-assessment
  • Defined and published assessment criteria
  • Independent standards ownership by Trust AI Standards
  • Time-bound certification validity

This model enables organisations to move quickly from intent to demonstrable assurance.

Key Benefits for Organisations

Trust AI Essentials delivers tangible value across regulatory, commercial, and operational dimensions.

Regulatory Confidence

  • Demonstrates structured alignment with EU AI Act governance expectations
  • Supports regulatory readiness and compliance programmes
  • Provides evidence for audits and regulatory engagement

Commercial Trust

  • Builds confidence with customers, partners, and procurement teams
  • Strengthens credibility in AI-enabled products and services
  • Differentiates organisations in competitive markets

Board and Executive Assurance

  • Provides visibility over AI governance and accountability
  • Supports informed decision-making at leadership level
  • Reduces governance and reputational risk

Scalable AI Governance

  • Suitable for organisations at early or intermediate AI maturity
  • Establishes a foundation for advanced or independent certification
  • Enables continuous improvement as regulation evolves

Who Trust AI Essentials Is For

Trust AI Essentials is suitable for:

  • Organisations developing or deploying AI systems
  • SMEs and enterprises formalising AI governance
  • Organisations responding to EU AI Act requirements
  • Suppliers subject to AI assurance requests
  • Boards and executives seeking governance visibility

It applies across sectors, industries, and AI use cases.

Relationship to Trust AI Essentials Plus

Trust AI Essentials is the baseline certification within the Trust AI Standards framework.

Organisations requiring higher-confidence AI assurance, such as those operating high-risk AI systems or subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny, may progress to Trust AI Essentials Plus, which includes independent validation.

Independent by Design

Trust AI Standards maintains clear separation between:

  • Standards ownership
  • Certification scheme governance
  • Certification delivery

This independence ensures credibility, consistency, and long-term trust.

From Compliance Pressure to Governance Confidence

Trust AI Essentials enables organisations to move beyond informal claims and policy statements — toward structured, auditable, regulator-aligned AI governance assurance.