The certification system
Three pillars, three grades, one standard of evidence
Every Council credential is built the same way: a pillar that says what kind of claim it makes, an anchor that names the framework it examines against, and a grade that says how far the holder has been assessed.
§ 1 — Read a credential name
The name states the claim
A Council credential name is a sentence, not a brand:Certified AI — the Council certifies people, in AI; the pillar — what kind of claim; the grade — how far assessed; and the anchor — the named framework or regulation the examination is mapped to. The anchor is descriptive text only: it never implies endorsement by any standards body or regulator.
Governance
Anchored to a management-system standard. The holder is certified on what the standard requires of an organisation and how conformity is evidenced.
Certified AI Governance Foundation — ISO/IEC 42001
Compliance
Anchored to a law or regulation. The holder is certified on what the law demands, of whom, and by when.
Certified AI Compliance Foundation — EU AI Act
Assurance
Anchored to a sector or discipline, where the regulator, the evidence, and the consequences of failure are specific. The holder is certified on assuring AI systems in that setting.
Certified AI Assurance Financial Institutions Foundation — MAS
Curriculum mapping indicates alignment of learning content with published frameworks. It does not constitute endorsement by, or certification under, any standards organisation or regulator.
§ 2 — The grades
Foundation, Practitioner, Fellow
Each credential family runs the same three grades, opened in order. Foundation is what launches everywhere first; the grades above it open after each family’s Foundation cohort, with syllabi published before registration.
- 01
Foundation
The entry grade, and the grade every family launches with. Earned by examination; no prerequisites. Certifies working knowledge of the anchor framework applied under supervision.
- 02
Practitioner
The working grade. Earned by examination after Foundation cohorts run. Certifies applying the anchor framework without supervision and standing behind the conclusion.
- 03
Fellow
The senior grade, in the membership tradition: it is not earned by examination alone. It requires verified experience and an assessed portfolio, judged against published criteria.
§ 3 — Endorsements
Endorsements are held, not earned alone
An endorsement is a specialist qualification examined on top of a current Council credential. It is not tiered, and it is deliberately not titled “Certified” — that word is reserved for credentials a holder can claim on their own. If the underlying credential lapses, the endorsement lapses with it. The Council currently offers one: the Agentic AI Oversight Endorsement.
§ 4 — Earning and keeping it
One route in, one term held
Every examined credential is earned the same way: register, verify your identity once, sit the examination. Every script is marked twice — an AI assessor first and provisional, an independent human assessor second and final. No result is issued on automated marking alone, and no adverse decision — a fail, a suspension, a withdrawal — is ever made without a human assessor.
A credential is valid for two years from issue, appears on the public register for its whole life, and is held subject to the Code of Professional Conduct. What happens at the end of the term is set out in the revalidation policy.
The Council sells examinations and membership only. It sells no preparation, and assessors are never told how a candidate prepared — how training is kept separate from certification.
§ 5 — Start
Choose a credential
9 credentials are open for registration through the candidate portal. The free AI Literacy Certificate is the recommended starting point of the pathway.