Around the world, governments, organizations and communities are asking similar questions about artificial intelligence:
How can AI be trusted?
How can it be governed responsibly?
And how can different approaches work together across borders, sectors and regulatory systems?
International Standards help provide practical answers.
They support common approaches to areas such as AI terminology, governance, risk management, transparency, security, accountability and responsible management. They also provide a way for different stakeholders to work together on practical solutions that can support trust, interoperability and wider participation in the AI ecosystem.
What is the Seoul Statement?
The Seoul Statement is a joint statement by IEC, ISO and ITU on the role of International Standards in supporting trustworthy AI.
Launched at the International AI Standards Summit in Seoul in December 2025, the Statement sets out a shared direction for the international standardization community. It responds to the growing need for practical, inclusive and coordinated approaches to AI governance.
The Statement is not a technical standard. It is a commitment to strengthen the way International Standards can support the responsible design, development, deployment and governance of AI systems.
For ISO, the Seoul Statement is an important milestone. It reinforces the role of International Standards in helping connect policy ambition with practical implementation. It also recognizes that AI governance is not only a technical issue. It depends on people, institutions, organizational practices, legal frameworks, public trust and the ability of different stakeholders to participate.
Why International Standards matter for AI governance
AI systems are developed and used across national borders. They are applied in many sectors, from healthcare and manufacturing to transport, finance, education and public services. Their benefits and risks are rarely limited to one organization, one market or one country.
This creates a challenge for AI governance. Different countries and regions may take different policy or regulatory approaches. But organizations still need practical ways to design, manage and assess AI systems in a consistent and trustworthy way.
International Standards can help by providing common language, shared frameworks and practical guidance. They can support alignment between different governance approaches and help reduce unnecessary fragmentation.
Standards can also support confidence in AI systems by helping organizations address issues such as safety, security, transparency, risk management, data quality, human oversight and accountability. When used together with regulation, policy, conformity assessment and capacity building, standards can help turn high-level goals into action.
Four commitments for trustworthy AI
The Seoul Statement identifies four areas where the international standards community can help support trustworthy AI.
1. Taking a socio-technical approach
AI governance is not only about algorithms, models or infrastructure. It is also about how AI systems interact with people, organizations and society.
A socio-technical approach recognizes that the impact of AI depends on the context in which systems are designed, deployed and used. Standards therefore need to consider technical performance alongside organizational processes, human oversight, risk management, inclusion and trust.
This helps ensure that AI standards are relevant to real-world use, not only to technical development.
2. Understanding the relationship between standards and human rights
Human rights obligations are defined by states, legislators and competent authorities. Standards do not replace those responsibilities.
However, International Standards can help organizations understand and manage the technical and organizational aspects of AI systems in ways that support alignment with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
This distinction matters. Standards can provide practical tools for implementation, but they work alongside public policy, legislation and governance frameworks.
3. Supporting inclusive multistakeholder participation
Trustworthy AI cannot be shaped by one group alone.
Governments, regulators, industry, civil society, academia, technical experts and users all have a role to play. Participation from different regions and levels of development is also essential, especially as AI systems affect countries and communities in different ways.
ISO’s member-based and consensus-driven system provides a route for diverse perspectives to contribute to International Standards. Through national standards bodies and technical committees, stakeholders can help shape standards that reflect practical needs, local experience and global expertise.
4. Strengthening capacity building and public-private collaboration
Standards only create impact when people have the capacity to understand and use them.
Capacity building helps policymakers, businesses and other stakeholders apply International Standards in practice. It can support better policy design, stronger implementation, more effective conformity assessment and broader participation in standards development.
This is especially important where technical, institutional or financial resources are limited. Building capacity can help more countries and organizations take part in AI standardization and benefit from trustworthy AI.
ISO’s role in AI standardization
ISO brings together experts through a global, consensus-based system of members and technical committees. This system allows stakeholders from different countries and sectors to develop International Standards that are practical, relevant and globally applicable.
Much of ISO’s AI standardization work is developed through ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42, the joint ISO and IEC subcommittee dedicated to artificial intelligence. Its work supports areas such as AI concepts and terminology, trustworthiness, risk management, governance, data, machine learning and management systems.
These standards are part of a wider ecosystem. They can help policymakers, regulators, organizations and technical experts move from broad AI governance objectives to practical implementation.
From principles to practice
The Seoul Statement reflects a shared commitment by IEC, ISO and ITU to support trustworthy AI through International Standards.
For ISO, this means continuing to provide a neutral platform where governments, industry, civil society, academia and technical experts can work together. It also means supporting the capacity needed to use standards effectively in policy, regulation, conformity assessment and organizational practice.
AI governance will continue to evolve. International Standards can help make that evolution more coherent, inclusive and practical.
Learn more
Explore ISO’s work on artificial intelligence.
Learn more about ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42, the subcommittee for artificial intelligence.
Find your national ISO member to learn how stakeholders can participate in international standardization.