By Dr Sung Hwan Cho,
ISO President
LinkedIn
Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than any one institution, company or government can reasonably manage. Each week brings new developments – in foundation models, deployment tools and governance experiments. The pace of innovation is nothing short of extraordinary. Yet, the faster we move, the more essential it becomes to pause and ask: Are we building wisely? Are we building together?
This week, at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, that question took centre stage. And the response from the global community was clear: governing AI effectively requires more than good intentions. It demands common tools, shared principles and aligned action, grounded in trust and shaped by collaboration.
From dialogue to delivery
One message rose above the rest: International Standards are no longer just technical documents, they are the catalyst for implementing responsible AI. They offer a common language, a shared foundation and a practical pathway to translate ambition into action across borders and sectors.
In a session co-hosted by ISO, IEC and ITU – “From principles to practice: How AI standards enable effective governance” – I joined a panel of regulators, policy leaders and technical experts to explore this very question. How can we ensure that global ambitions are matched with practical mechanisms?
Our conclusion: by putting standards to work.
A common reference point
Around the world, we are seeing diverse approaches to AI regulation. Some countries are introducing new laws. Others are still exploring soft-law mechanisms. The result is a patchwork of policies – some converging, others diverging.
International Standards don’t aim to replace regulation, but they do play a critical supporting role. They provide a shared reference point that fosters coordination across borders, even in the absence of harmonized regulation.
This is especially important for countries still building their regulatory capacity. For them, standards can offer a starting point, giving policymakers and developers alike a ready-made trusted foundation to address AI challenges – without waiting for legislation to catch up.
And for industry, they offer predictability and clarity in a complex space.
The AI Standards Exchange
Among the most significant outcomes this week was the official launch of the AI Standards Exchange Database, developed under the World Standards Cooperation (WSC) by ITU, with support from ISO and IEC. This open-access, searchable platform brings together all existing AI-related standards, a vital step in making the landscape transparent, navigable and inclusive.
The Exchange Database offers a centralized platform to share knowledge, compare approaches and build alignment:
- For policymakers, it streamlines access to policy-relevant standards, helping them make informed regulatory choices.
- For start-ups and innovators, it lowers the compliance burden by showing clear, coherent guidance.
- For civil society and advocacy groups, it improves oversight and strengthens calls for accountability.
- And for the global technical community, it reduces duplication and surfaces gaps, improving quality and cohesion across the board.
It’s also a direct response to recommendations from the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI, which called for shared infrastructure to improve coherence and trust in AI governance. This kind of tool is exactly what’s needed to build bridges between principles, standards and policy.
The road to Seoul
All of this momentum sets the stage for a crucial milestone: the International AI Standards Summit, to be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, this December. Jointly organized by ISO, IEC and ITU, the Summit will be a first-of-its-kind high-level gathering of standardization bodies, governments, regulators, industry leaders, civil society and technical experts.
Its goal is simple but ambitious: to advance global AI governance through International Standards.
Just as importantly, the Seoul Summit will be a platform for collaboration. A chance to build new partnerships, strengthen alignment and ensure that emerging governance frameworks are supported by robust, shared tools.
What comes next?
The future of AI will not be written in one place, nor by one voice. It will be shaped – deliberately and collectively – by the world. At ISO, we have long believed that voluntary, consensus-based International Standards are among the most powerful tools for building trust at scale. Today, we’re proud to work with our partners across 170+ countries with foresight, humility and shared purpose.
At the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, we made meaningful progress. In Seoul, we will build on it – with urgency, inclusiveness and clarity of purpose. Because governing AI is not just about responding to what’s next. It’s about building the future we all deserve, together.
That starts with standards. That starts with us.