On 14 October, CEN and CENELEC join the international standardization community to celebrate World Standards Day. Under the motto “Shared visions for a better world”, the event is an opportunity to highlight the many ways in which international standards contribute to building a sustainable future.
For the past few years, World Standards Day has been dedicated to raising awareness on how standards support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, the spotlight is put on SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
CEN and CENELEC, as two of the official European Standardization Organizations (ESOs), are happy to join the celebration. In the age of AI, with many questions and uncertainties, standards are more important than ever. Voluntary, consensus-based standards offer shared rules of behaviour, facilitate the dissemination of best practices, contribute to the fast transmission of innovation, and foster global trade.
Here is a list of a few specific examples of how standards can help shape the future of AI:
- EN ISO/IEC 23894:2024 – Guidance on risk management
This standard provides guidance on how organizations that develop, produce deploy or use products, systems and services that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) can manage risk specifically related to AI. It covers identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks related to AI, including issues around data security, privacy, and system failures. The application of this guidance can be customized to any organization and its context. This standard promotes the responsible and safe integration of AI into various sectors, supporting sustainable industrialization and innovation.
- CEN/CLC ISO/IEC/TR 24027:2023 – Bias in AI systems and AI-aided decision making
This technical report addresses bias in relation to AI systems, especially with regards to AI-aided decision-making. It describes measurement techniques and methods for assessing bias, with the aim to address and treat bias-related vulnerabilities. Its scope covers all AI system lifecycle phases, including data collection, training, continual learning, testing, and evaluation. This document promotes innovation by encouraging the development of fairer AI systems that can be trusted across various sectors.
- EN ISO/IEC 8183:2024 – Data life cycle framework
This document defines the stages and identifies associated actions for data processing throughout the artificial intelligence (AI) system life cycle, including acquisition, creation, development, deployment, maintenance and decommissioning. The standard is applicable to all organizations, regardless of type, size or nature, that use data in the development and use of AI systems. It supports the digital transformation of industries by providing a solid foundation for data management, driving both operational efficiency and innovation.
To help you learn more about SDG-specific standards, CEN and CENELEC provides a dedicated webpage: “Standards for the SDGs”. This online tool offers a comprehensive and clear mapping of the standards that contribute significantly to the SDGs in the European context.
About World Standards Day, Elena Santiago Cid, CEN and CENELEC’s Director General, said: "On World Standards Day, we celebrate how European standards contribute to trustworthy AI and foster innovation and competitiveness. CEN and CENELEC's work is crucial in advancing the deployment of safe, secure, integrated, and resilient digital infrastructures that powers our future. In doing this, we are proud to support SDG 9, driving sustainable industrialization and technological progress for a better Europe and world."
