AI delivery. Independently evidenced.
Independent Assayers assess specific AI engagements against a published standard. Work that passes gets a Hallmark and a record you can inspect.
Specimen — illustrative, not certified
Assessed engagement
Claims triage assistant for a UK insurer (specimen, not certified)
IDEA v3 · Specimen Assayer SPX · 2026
Who it’s for
Proving Register · 7 reference evaluations · 0 issued Hallmarks
Buyers & procurement
A stronger basis for defining acceptance, evaluating delivery and explaining decisions.
Discuss an engagementDelivery firms
Independently assessed quality for specific engagements, beyond self-claims.
Put an engagement forwardPractitioners
A portable, attributable record of work that has passed independent assessment.
Explore the Practitioner’s MarkIndependent Assayers
A credible framework for independent assessment and professional participation.
Explore accreditationHow it works
How independent assessment works
The delivery team does not mark its own work, and the Foundation does not assess. A separate, accredited Assayer does.
- Step 1
Scoped
The engagement and its measurable acceptance criteria are defined against the published standard before the claim of success is made.
- Step 2
Assessed
An independent Assayer — never the delivery team, never the Foundation — evaluates the evidence gate by gate.
- Step 3
Recorded
Work that passes is entered on the public Register with a stable identifier and the Hallmark. Its status stays inspectable.
The record behind the mark
Check the evidence behind an assessed engagement
Every Hallmark resolves to a public record: what was assessed, against which standard, by which independent Assayer, for which Practitioner, and its status today. The Register is the source of truth — not a supplier’s own marketing.
The record at the top of this page is a specimen. It shows the format only; it is not an assessment, a certification or a Register entry.
- What was assessed?
- Engagement scope
- Against which standard?
- Standard & version
- Who built the work?
- Practitioner
- Who independently assessed it?
- Assayer
- When, and what is its status now?
- Date & status
Public and inspectable
A mark you can check — not a badge you can copy
The Register holds issued Hallmarks and their history. The Proving Register holds reference evaluations used to test the standard. Proving entries are not Hallmarks.
Production Register · 0 Hallmarks issued · Sourced 2026-10-25 from the Register data at build
Independence
The people who deliver the work never assess it
Assay Foundation
Stewards the published standards, accredits independent Assayers and maintains the public Register.
Does not assess engagements or deliver implementation work.
The independent Assayer
Evaluates a specific engagement against the applicable standard.
May not assess work in which it has a commercial interest.
The delivery team
Builds the system and remains accountable for its delivery to the client.
Does not assess or certify its own work.
The standard · IDEA v3
The published standard used to assess the work
IDEA looks at an AI implementation across its lifecycle. These are its four conceptual gates; assessment itself is recorded against a finer schedule of 7 operational gates.
Conceptual gate 1 · Specification
Is the right thing being built, against measurable success criteria?
Define the intended outcome, the conditions of use and what acceptable performance means.
Conceptual gate 2 · Implementation
Is it being built correctly, on fit data, with governance in place?
Examine data fitness, implementation decisions, controls and accountability.
Conceptual gate 3 · Test & Acceptance
Does it meet the agreed thresholds, independently verified?
Test against agreed criteria with independently examinable evidence.
Conceptual gate 4 · Operation
Does it continue to perform in production, over time?
Consider ongoing performance, monitoring, change and the conditions for reassessment.
These are the four conceptual gates. In practice, an assessment is recorded against a more detailed schedule of 7 operational gates, which map onto them.
Have an AI engagement that should stand up to independent scrutiny?
Whether you are commissioning AI implementation or delivering it, tell us about the engagement and what you need to establish. We can discuss whether Assay is relevant and what participation could involve.
What happens next
- 1 Your message reaches the Foundation’s enquiries inbox.
- 2 We discuss your engagement, its stage and what you need to establish.
- 3 Where Assay is relevant, we explain eligibility and how an independent assessment could be arranged.
Please don’t send confidential implementation details in a first message. Terms, eligibility and any fees are discussed individually.