AI Roles in ISO 42001: Provider, Producer, Customer, Partner

Key Takeaways

Quick Answer: ISO 42001 defines four main roles: AI Provider (develops AI for others), AI Producer (internal teams building/modifying AI), AI Customer (procures AI systems), and AI Partner (supply chain participants). Most organizations developing AI products are both Providers and Producers. Your roles determine your certification scope.

The Four AI Roles

AI Provider

An AI Provider develops AI systems intended for use by others:

Common AI Provider activities:

• Building AI platforms and APIs
• Creating AI-powered products for sale/licensing
• Developing AI models for customers
• Providing AI infrastructure services

ISO 42001 obligations for Providers:

AI Producer

ISO 42001 introduces the concept of AI Producer to cover various roles involved in creating AI systems:

Understanding the distinction:

• Provider = Organization-level role (you provide AI to others)
• Producer = Functional role (people/teams creating AI)

An organization that is an AI Provider will have AI Producers within it.

ISO 42001 for Producers:

AI Customer

An AI Customer procures AI systems from providers:

AI Customer responsibilities under ISO 42001:

When AI Customers need ISO 42001:

• If you're also developing AI (then you're a Producer too)
• If you're deploying AI in high-risk contexts
• If customers require AI governance from you
• If regulatory requirements demand it

AI Partner

AI Partners are organizations in the AI supply chain that support providers and producers:

ISO 42001 relevance for Partners:

Mapping Roles to Your Organization

Assessment Questions

Are you an AI Provider?

• Do you sell/license AI systems to other organizations?
• Do you provide AI APIs or platforms externally?
• Do customers use your AI systems as part of their products?

Do you have AI Producers?

• Do you have teams developing AI/ML systems?
• Do you train or fine-tune models?
• Do you curate or create training datasets?
• Do you deploy AI systems to production?

Are you an AI Customer?

• Do you procure AI systems from external vendors?
• Do you use third-party AI APIs in your products?
• Do you license AI technology from others?

Are you an AI Partner?

• Do you provide data, training, or support services to AI developers?
• Are you part of AI supply chains without building AI yourself?

Common Role Combinations

Example: AI SaaS Startup

1Role Mapping Example: AI Analytics SaaS
2────────────────────────────────────────────────────
3
4AI Provider:
5└── Provides AI analytics platform to customers
6
7AI Producer:
8├── Engineering team develops ML models
9├── Data scientists curate training data
10├── ML engineers deploy to production
11└── QA tests model performance
12
13AI Customer:
14└── Uses cloud AI services (e.g., AWS Bedrock) for some features
15
16AI Partners:
17├── Cloud infrastructure provider
18├── Annotation service for training data
19└── Security testing vendor

Role-Based ISO 42001 Scope

Provider Scope (Most Comprehensive)

If you're an AI Provider, your AIMS scope typically includes:

Applicable Annex A Controls:

Producer-Only Scope

If you develop AI for internal use only (not a Provider):

Potentially excludable:

• A.8 may be simplified (internal stakeholders only)
• A.10 may focus on suppliers rather than customers

Customer Scope (Limited)

If you're primarily an AI Customer with minimal development:

Note: Pure AI Customers may not need ISO 42001 certification. Internal governance and vendor due diligence may suffice. See Who needs ISO 42001.

Responsibilities by Role

Provider Responsibilities

Producer Responsibilities

Customer Responsibilities

Partner Responsibilities

EU AI Act Role Alignment

ISO 42001 roles map to EU AI Act terminology:

Understanding this alignment helps organizations prepare for EU AI Act compliance through ISO 42001 certification.

Practical Implications

Certification Scope Definition

Your roles directly inform your certification scope statement:

Example scope statements:

AI Provider + Producer:

"The AIMS covers the development, provision, and support of [Product Name] AI systems, including design, data management, model development, deployment, and customer support."

Internal Producer only:

"The AIMS covers the development and operation of internal AI systems supporting [business functions], including data management, model development, and deployment."

Customer with some development:

"The AIMS covers the governance of AI systems procured from third parties and the internal development of AI-powered features for [Product Name]."

Resource Allocation

Role complexity affects resource needs:

Need help determining your AI roles and certification scope? Talk to our team