Cognizant Becomes 1st Global IT Service Company to Get ISO/IEC 42001 Certification

US multinational IT firm Cognizant has been accredited with ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification for AI management systems. The standard was defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in December 2023. 

The standard provides guidelines to address challenges and ethical considerations and ensure transparency for organisations in managing AI systems. ISO mentions that implementation of the standard will help companies comply with legal standards, enhance trust, and build innovation with a ‘structured framework’. 

Announcing the same, Ravi Kumar S, CEO at Cognizant, said, “In today’s market, businesses demand partners who not only drive innovation but also align with their values and sustainability goals. This certification solidifies our role as a trusted leader in enabling ethical and sustainable digital transformation worldwide.” 

DNV issued the certification to Cognizant, a global provider of management systems certification. 

“It is a milestone achievement signifying that Cognizant has put process governance in place to assure a safe, reliable and ethical approach to AI, reducing risks and building trust – internally and externally,” said Barbara Frencia, CEO of business assurance at DNV. 

In a move to create over 1,500 jobs with potential growth to 20,000, Cognizant expanded its presence in India by opening its first centre in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in August.

Notably, Cognizant is the first global IT service company to receive this accreditation. A few weeks ago, Amazon Web Services (AWS) also announced the ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its AI services. 

“Achieving ISO/IEC42001 certification means that an independent third party has validated that AWS is taking proactive steps to manage risks and opportunities associated with AI development, deployment, and operation,” the cloud giant said in the announcement. 

Other notable firms to be accredited with the certification include Infosys, Samsung SDS, KPMG Australia, and so on. 

ISO also mentions that this standard is designed to be applied to all sorts of AI applications and platforms. ISO has also defined other standards for AI, like ISO/IEC 22989, which establishes terminology and concepts of AI, and ISO/IEC 23894, which provides guidance on AI risk management.