ANAB Publishes Guidance on the Use of AI by Conformity Assessment Bodies

The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) has published GD 1003, ANAB Guidance on the Use of AI by Conformity Assessment Bodies. This guidance is intended for all ANAB-accredited conformity assessment bodies (CABs), regardless of the standard under which they are accredited.

The guidance is intended to help ANAB-accredited CABs use AI responsibly while preserving the integrity, impartiality, and trust that underpin accredited conformity assessment. It takes a principles-based approach, and does not prohibit the use of AI, nor require CABs to obtain approval or notify ANAB before introducing AI. CABs remain fully responsible for all conformity assessment decisions and outcomes, including those informed by AI, and are expected to apply governance, validation, and human oversight in proportion to the risk AI poses to the integrity and impartiality of their work.

The guidance applies to AI systems that CABs develop internally, procure from third parties, or access through external platforms. It also addresses personnel use of general-purpose AI tools. In developing GD 1003, ANAB considered recognized approaches to AI risk management, including the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.

“AI is becoming part of how conformity assessment work gets done, and accredited bodies need clear expectations for using it responsibly,” said Warren Merkel, interim executive director of ANAB. “GD 1003 gives CABs room to adopt these tools while preserving the accountability and impartiality that accredited conformity assessment depends on.”