A label says AI was used on a recording. Certification looks at the tool and the practices behind it: the datasets, the rights and the governance. A labelled track can come from a tool with a weak rights basis. A certified tool can be used to make a track that still needs its own rights check.

No. Commercial use means use in the course of a business activity, whether or not the end user pays. A free tool that supports the provider’s business is in commercial use.

No. AI:OK does not audit a third-party provider’s training data. A provider’s permission for your use does not show that its own training was lawful. AI:OK asks what you can demonstrate about that layer and records what remains unverifiable. This limit is stated in the Methodology and affects the scope you can achieve.

The data behind a model can change between versions. Evidence about one version does not necessarily apply to another, so a certificate refers to a named version.

Quick Check is reviewed by a human assessor within five working days. Assessor time for Core review is typically one to three hours, depending on how complete your Dataset and Source Register is and how complex your rights position is. Elapsed time varies. AI:OK states the expected review period when it accepts your Core submission.

You can download the Quick Check and Core Certification forms to prepare your answers. They contain the same questions as the online forms. Applications are made through the online forms, where you make the declaration of accuracy and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A downloaded form is not a submission.

At Quick Check, the outcomes are Proceed to Core, Requires Clarification and Not Currently Eligible. At Core, they are Certified, Conditional Certification and Not Certified. You receive written reasons. You may reapply with more evidence or appeal. The Core submission fee is not refunded, because it pays for the assessment. Certain failures are final for that application: unidentifiable datasets, absent rights, restricted data used commercially without rights, and material misrepresentation.

A human AI:OK assessor reads every submission and makes every decision. AI:OK uses online forms and automated emails to collect and acknowledge submissions. These do not decide outcomes.

EU AI Act Article 4 requires providers and deployers of AI systems to take measures to support the AI literacy of their staff and others who operate AI systems for them. The duty has applied since 2 February 2025, and the wording changed on 27 July 2026 to “take measures to support the development of AI literacy”. National authorities began supervising it in August 2026. Whether it applies to you depends on your role and where you operate, and this answer is not legal advice. Sound Judgement, AI:OK’s AI literacy programme, can be one of your measures. It does not satisfy the duty by itself, and it is optional. It is not a condition of certification, and it is included with certification through the member portal at no extra charge.

Certification assesses a vendor’s rights position and governance. Sound Judgement is a self-paced course for teams, written by Dr Martin Clancy. Completing the programme does not affect a certification decision. The programme is optional and is included with certification, at no extra charge, through the member portal.

Search the public registry. Each entry shows the entity name, certificate number, status, scope, issue date and review date. If an entity displays the trustmark and you cannot find it on the registry, or the status differs, contact info@ai-ok.org. If you believe a certified entity is not meeting its commitments, use File evidence.

AI:OK is operated by AI-OK Limited, registered in Ireland. It was founded by Dr Martin Clancy. Enterprise Ireland and the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at Dublin City University have funded and supported its development. The Methodology explains how AI:OK manages impartiality.

No. Certification is a view on the vendor’s practices at the time of assessment. It does not state that any output is free of infringement. Use your own legal review for decisions about specific recordings.

Only if your entity is currently certified and only within the scope on your certificate. Use must follow the trustmark licence. It ends on expiry, suspension or revocation.

No. Version 3 of the standard does not assess how a system handles rights holder opt-outs or consent in operation, or whether it prevents imitation of a named artist’s voice or likeness. Certification says nothing on those points. It looks at the datasets, the rights behind them, transparency records and governance. AI:OK may add further topics to a future version and will publish any change before it applies.

AI:OK reviews certified entities every twelve months and through the Extended Framework, and acts on evidence filings. It does not monitor certified entities continuously. Check the registry on the day you rely on a certificate.

Check the registry entry, the scope, the model and standard version, the dates and the status. The section How to read an AI:OK certificate on the Certification page explains each check and what AI:OK did not assess.

AI:OK is an independent, voluntary certification scheme. It is not a regulator and not a statutory conformity assessment body. Human assessors make every decision, and AI:OK does not require applicants to buy any service in order to be certified. The Methodology explains how AI:OK manages impartiality.

A human assessor decides, or a panel for complex cases. You receive written reasons. You may appeal within 20 working days to a person or panel not involved in the original decision.

AI:OK reviews the standard and the Methodology each year. Changes are published with a date in the version notes on the Standards page and take effect 30 days after publication, unless a change in law requires earlier effect. Certified entities are assessed against the current version at their annual review.

You complete the annual review, tell AI:OK about any material changes, and refresh the Extended Framework. A material change to training data, model architecture or the rights basis will normally need re-certification. If the review is not completed, the certificate lapses and the registry shows Expired.

The Applicant Guide goes through the Quick Check, Core Certification and Extended Framework forms section by section, with the evidence to prepare and the gaps that come up most often.

No. Only an entity with a current certificate may say it is certified by AI:OK, and only for the scope on the certificate. A Quick Check clearance, a place on the waiting list or a submitted application is not certification.