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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now become an integral part of many organizations, supporting decision-making, process automation, service personalization, and even threat detection. However, behind these extraordinary benefits, AI also brings complex risks, especially when used without sufficient understanding. This is why AI awareness becomes a crucial element for every organization.

AI that is applied without proper understanding and oversight can lead to biased decisions, ethical misalignment, legal violations, and even reputational crises. This is where the ISO/IEC 42001:2023 standard becomes highly relevant, as it provides a management system framework that emphasizes awareness, accountability, and comprehensive AI governance.

What Is AI Awareness and Why Is It Important?

AI awareness refers to an organization’s collective understanding of:

• How AI systems work and their limitations

• The risks and opportunities of AI implementation

• Ethical, transparency, security, and privacy aspects

• Human responsibility in AI-based decision-making

Without awareness, employees may misuse, misinterpret, or even ignore the impact of AI outputs. This can lead to:

• Complete dependence on automation/AI systems

• Misinterpretation of AI results

• Irresponsible decision-making

• Privacy violations or algorithmic discrimination

ISO/IEC 42001:2023, the International Standard for AI Management Systems (AIMS)

ISO/IEC 42001:2023 is the world’s first management system standard specifically designed for organizations that develop, provide, or use AI. It offers a systematic approach to ensure AI is implemented with adequate control, transparency, and accountability.

Scope of ISO/IEC 42001

The standard covers:

• The entire lifecycle of AI systems, from design, development, usage, monitoring, to evaluation

• Various types of organizations and sectors—private, public, or non-profit institutions

• Fully automated as well as semi-automated AI systems

• Integration with other management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 31000

Structure and Content of ISO/IEC 42001

ISO/IEC 42001 consists of 10 main clauses forming the AI management system framework. Below is an explanation of each clause and its relation to enhancing AI awareness:

1. Clause 1 (Scope) – Defines that this standard applies to organizations involved in the development, provision, or use of AI systems. Awareness must be instilled across all entities within this scope.

2. Clause 2 (Normative References) – Shows links to other standards like ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 31000 (risk management). Awareness of these links is essential to avoid overlap or gaps in AI risk management.

3. Clause 3 (Terms and Definitions) – Provides definitions of key terms such as explainability, bias, human oversight, etc. Ensuring everyone understands technical terms is the foundation of effective AI awareness.

4. Clause 4 (Context of the Organization) – Encourages organizations to identify internal and external factors as well as stakeholder expectations. Awareness here means recognizing the environment in which AI will operate.

5. Clause 5 (Leadership) – Regulates how top management demonstrates commitment to AIMS. Leadership should drive a culture of AI awareness across the organization.

6. Clause 6 (Planning) – Focuses on assessing AI-related risks and opportunities and planning objectives. Awareness and training programs can be established as part of continuous improvement.

7. Clause 7 (Support) – The core of AI awareness management, covering competence, training, communication, and documentation. Organizations must ensure personnel understand their roles in responsible AI use.

8. Clause 8 (Operation) – Outlines the execution and control of AI systems. Awareness is required so operations run with an understanding of AI risks and proper human oversight.

9. Clause 9 (Performance Evaluation) – Sets performance evaluation for AIMS through monitoring, internal audits, and management reviews. One key aspect is assessing the effectiveness of awareness programs.

10. Clause 10 (Improvement) – Provides guidance for continuous improvement of AIMS. Low awareness may cause mistakes that must be corrected through training and education.

Real Case Studies: Consequences of Lack of AI Awareness

1. Apple Card (2019) – The AI-based credit rating system was suspected of gender bias, prompting financial authority investigations. The team lacked clear understanding of the algorithm’s operation, showing poor transparency and oversight.

2. IBM Watson for Oncology (2017–2018) – Inaccurate treatment recommendations raised doubts about IBM’s AI system. Medical staff had insufficient training regarding the system’s limitations.

3. Police in Detroit (2020) – Wrongful arrest of a Black citizen occurred due to errors in facial recognition. Officers failed to recognize the system’s low accuracy for minority groups.

Training & Implementation of ISO/IEC 42001

Structured AI awareness can only be achieved when organizations integrate training and education into their management system. ISO/IEC 42001 provides this framework, particularly in Clause 7 (Support) and Clause 6 (Planning).

Through ISO/IEC 42001 training, organizations can:

• Improve understanding of AI governance principles

• Define roles and responsibilities for managing AI risks

• Develop policies and educational procedures for ethical AI use

• Prepare for internal audits and external certification

Robere & Associates (Indonesia), Your Partner in AI Governance

As a provider of management system training and consulting, we help organizations build ISO/IEC 42001-based AI management systems through:

• AI Awareness & ISO 42001 Implementation Training

• Gap Analysis and Readiness Assessment

• Drafting of policies, SOPs, and AIMS forms

AI without awareness is an invisible threat. AI with awareness is a sustainable competitive advantage. With ISO/IEC 42001, your organization can not only adopt AI but also manage it ethically, transparently, and securely. And Robere & Associates is ready to guide you every step of the way.