Conformity Assessment

According to the International Electrical Commission, conformity assessment refers to: any activity that determines whether a product, system, service, and sometimes people fulfill the requirements and characteristics described in a standard or specification. According to the International Standardization Organization (ISO), such requirements are stated in standards, regulations, contracts, programs, or other normative documents. Verification is generally done through testing or/and inspection (which may or may not include ongoing verification).

In the Responsible AI Governance ecosystem, conformity assessments - also known as compliance testing - can be used as an evaluation of systems to ensure they meet specific standards or requirements related to their reliability, accuracy, fairness, transparency, and ethical considerations.

A conformity assessment gives buyers, sellers, consumers, and regulators confidence that products sourced in the global market meet specific requirements.  It demonstrates that specified requirements for a product, process, system, person, or body requirements are fulfilled. 

Conformity assessment procedures ensure that the products, services, systems, persons, or bodies have certain required characteristics and that these characteristics are consistent from product to product, service to service, or system to system.