UK Government Backs AIQI Consortium in New Roadmap for Trusted AI
Brussels, 09 September 2025 – The UK Government has recognised the AIQI Consortium as a key international partner in its Trusted Third-Party AI Assurance Roadmap, unveiled last week by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The roadmap sets out a plan to build the skills, standards, and trusted ecosystem needed to make Artificial Intelligence (AI) safe, transparent, and aligned with public values.
This marks a major milestone for the AIQI Consortium, which brings together global Quality Infrastructure (QI) partners to ensure AI systems can be trusted. By highlighting AIQI, the UK Government is sending a clear message: international cooperation and robust quality infrastructure are essential to the future of AI assurance.
For decades, QI, the system of standards, metrology, accreditation, and conformity assessment, has worked quietly behind the scenes, providing the backbone of confidence in everything from consumer products to critical infrastructure. Today, as digital technologies and AI transform our economies, this same silent ally is once again at the centre, safeguarding robust science, protecting privacy, and enabling the safe and transparent deployment of AI.
“This is a strong signal of the importance of global partnerships in building a trustworthy AI assurance ecosystem,” said Adam Leon Smith, speaking on behalf of the AIQI Consortium. “In just one year since its creation, the Consortium has shown how uniting stakeholders worldwide can deliver practical solutions. Quality Infrastructure is the hidden backbone of trust, and now it is stepping forward to safeguard the AI era.”
Since its launch in 2024 under the joint leadership of TIC Council and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), and inaugurated by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli, at the TIC Council Summit, the Consortium has already delivered concrete results. Highlights include:
Delivering a free introductory course on ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems), which has already equipped more than 3,500 professionals worldwide with tools to better understand and apply assurance to AI systems.
Hosting expert webinars, including a dedicated session on ISO/IEC 42001 exploring real-world applications of the standard, and a joint event with the AI Standards Hub on the role of quality infrastructure and conformity assessment in the context of the EU AI Act and other emerging frameworks.
Engaging with policymakers and regulators to emphasise the crucial role of Quality Infrastructure in strengthening AI safety and presenting the AI Assurance tool currently being developed by our experts.
As the roadmap moves forward, the AIQI Consortium will continue to champion QI as the foundation of safe, reliable, and compliant AI, while connecting governments, regulators, industry, and civil society to foster trust, accountability, and innovation.
Contacts
Jeff Ruddle
Secretariat, AIQI Consortium
Email: aiqisecretariat@ukas.com
Ángel Moreno Rubio
Digital Policy Manager, TIC Council
Email: amorenorubio@tic-council.org
Richard Collin
External Affairs Director, UKAS
Email: richard.collin@ukas.com
About AIQI Consortium
The AIQI Consortium is a voluntary international platform bringing together key Quality Infrastructure partners, including conformity assessment bodies, accreditation bodies, standardization organizations, and metrology institutes. AIQI members collaborate to promote the safe, trustworthy, and ethical development and deployment of AI through awareness-raising, transparency, and the adoption of best practices.
About TIC Council
TIC Council is the global trade association representing the independent third-party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry which brings together about 110 member companies and organizations from around the world to speak with one voice. Its members provide services across a wide range of sectors: consumer products, medical devices, petroleum, mining and metals, food, and agriculture among others. Through provision of these services, TIC Council members assure that not only regulatory requirements are met, but also that reliability, economic value, and sustainability are enhanced. TIC Council’s members are present in more than 160 countries and the wider TIC sector currently employs more than 1 million people across the globe.
About UKAS
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom. UKAS is appointed by UK government to assess, against nationally and internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide conformity assessment services such as certification, testing, inspection, calibration and verification. Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these organisations.