Know where AI is used.
Govern the consequences.
Keep the evidence.

No. AIGMS™ is written for competent managers rather than compliance specialists, including business owners, operations managers, office managers and health and safety leads. The documents use plain English and include completion guidance. The organisation remains responsible for allocating time and competent people to implementation.

AIGMS™ is an independently created governance management system rather than a standard. It is not derived from any certification scheme and it does not prepare an organisation for certification against one. It is built for UK organisations that need a documented, proportionate way to govern AI Activities and keep records of how they have done it.

The question is less about how much AI you use and more about what goes into it and what the output affects. Client data, HR information and financial records can create legal, contractual or operational duties regardless of how casual the use feels. AIGMS™ is proportionate, so a Negligible AI Activity attracts only the Foundation Safeguards while a Critical one attracts the full applicable suite selected for that AI Activity.

AIGMS™ itself is not mandatory. Depending on the AI Activity, duties under UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 or the Equality Act 2010 may apply. AIGMS™ provides a structured way to organise relevant governance work and records. It does not replace legal advice or any assessment required by law.

The nine-step Implementation Pathway typically takes six to ten weeks of elapsed time and around 20 to 40 person-hours of focused Governance Lead effort, plus stakeholder time across the organisation. These are indicative figures rather than a guaranteed schedule.

Each package contains everything in the package below it, except that the Integrated Governance Workbook steps up to the higher edition rather than arriving alongside the old one. Foundation covers Pathway steps 1 to 3, establishing leadership, the AI Governance Policy, the Activity Register and Shadow AI discovery. Operating adds Consequence Profiling, Safeguard selection, training Levels 2, 3 and 4 plus nine further specialist tools to give eleven in all, taking you through Step 7. Assurance adds Assurance Review, Maturity Self-Assessment and the improvement record across all nine steps. Upgrades are priced at the difference between package prices.

It combines the Assurance implementation materials with all four extensions. It is a commercial bundle rather than a fourth package level, so it adds breadth of internal use rather than a further stage of the system. Verification, an Entry Check, assessment, independent decision work, renewal and professional licensing are separate and are not included.

It is the single working file at the centre of each package, supplied in a Foundation, Operating or Assurance edition. Whatever your package supports lives in that one file and stays in step with itself, rather than sitting across separate documents that drift apart. The Foundation edition carries the Activity Register, ownership and the review record. The Operating edition adds Consequence Profiling and Safeguard selection records. The Assurance edition adds Assurance Review, Maturity Self-Assessment and the improvement record. When you upgrade, the new edition replaces the old one, so keep the previous workbook as the master record until your Governance Lead has reconciled the transfer.

No. Your existing entitlement to use the materials you bought is unchanged, so each package upgrade is priced at the difference between package prices. Foundation customers who need Consequence Profiling, Safeguard selection or the ability to take a new AI Activity to approval should take the Foundation to Operating upgrade at £170. The Foundation to Assurance upgrade at £320 makes both steps at once. Operating customers need only the Operating to Assurance upgrade at £150, because all four training levels are already included. Every route to Assurance totals £447. Upgrades are arranged directly rather than bought from the shop, so contact us with the package you hold and you will receive a payment link for the correct route. Every upgrade comes with transfer guidance. Keep your current workbook as the master record until your Governance Lead has reconciled the new edition against it.

Two instant downloads. The Core Toolkit holds the working system in numbered folders by task, starting with a Read Me First and the Implementation Handbook. The Training Library holds one folder for each level your package includes. Every level carries slides, a briefing, a handout, a practical task, a question bank and an assessment. Level 4 Governance Lead adds its own workbook. They are separate downloads because the training files are large. Word, Excel and PowerPoint files are editable and PDFs are reference material. Everything is licensed to the named purchasing legal entity.

It is an independent examination leading to AIGMS™ Verified status for a named legal entity and a recorded scope. An assessor examines sampled operating evidence, then a separate authorised decision maker grants, refuses or defers the decision. A granted status appears on a public register. The programme is in controlled development and is not yet open for public applications. You may register your interest at no cost.

There will be no charge to submit the initial application form, whichever package your organisation holds. A separately charged Entry Check confirms identity, scope, operating evidence and readiness before assessment planning begins. Assessment and independent decision work are quoted separately according to the scope. Fees pay for work performed and do not depend on the outcome. Verification is not free. No fee is published or payable while the programme remains closed.

No. Implementation and verification are separate offers under the AIGMS™ Status and Entitlement Decision, so your implementation entitlement is unchanged by anything the Verification Programme does. Verification examines how AIGMS™ actually operates in your organisation rather than which documents you bought, which means the implementation work a package supports is the same work that produces the evidence an assessment looks for. Buying a package has never granted verified status and never will.

No. The assessor judges the content and operation of your evidence rather than the document design or where it came from, so equivalent evidence from any AIGMS™ implementation may be accepted where it demonstrates the same requirement for the same scope and period. The Assurance Pack is the most direct AIGMS™ package route towards readiness. An applicant will need at least one completed Assurance Review plus a real period of operating evidence.

Neither. AIGMS™ Verified is a private verification status that is not UKAS accredited, government approved or regulator endorsed. It does not confirm legal compliance or the safety, accuracy or performance of any AI tool, product, AI Activity or output. What it confirms is that an independent assessor examined sampled governance evidence against published requirements and that a separate decision maker accepted it. Only an organisation holding Current AIGMS™ Verified status may receive a licence to use the AIGMS™ Verified Mark.

AIGMS™ is published under a stated framework version. The current Framework Document is version 3.1 and contains a version history summarising each release. Methodology pages state the framework version, last review date and next scheduled review. Time-sensitive legal information must still be checked against current official sources.

The AIGMS™ Starter Guide is a practical introduction covering the six Governing Principles, the five Activity Categories, Consequence Profiling with a worked example, the Safeguard Catalogue and the nine-step Implementation Pathway. It is there to help you decide whether AIGMS™ suits your organisation. There are no sales calls and no obligation.