# ISO/IEC 42001:2023 A.9.3 — Objectives for responsible use of AI systems

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-9-3-objectives-for-responsible-use-of-ai-systems
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [ISO/IEC 42001:2023 (AI Management System) Annex A Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023) › Organizational controls
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**ISO/IEC 42001:2023**·Annex A `A.9.3`·high·Component: **Organizational controls**

## What this control requires

> Objectives for responsible use of AI systems shall be defined, monitored, and integrated into operational governance.
> 
> — ISO/IEC 42001:2023, Annex A A.9.3

### In plain English

Objectives for responsible use of AI systems shall be defined, monitored, and integrated into operational governance. In practice, this means you can prove you define ai systems-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

ISO 42001 is the first audited evidence regulators, customers and investors can ask for that you are managing AI risk. Each Annex A control is a check-box in that audit; it is also the management system enterprises are starting to require from AI vendors before an MSA can be signed.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

An ISO 42001 auditor verifies you have an AI policy, a risk-based system of impact assessments for each AI system, lifecycle controls from data acquisition through retirement, and third-party-AI controls that pierce the vendor's wrapper to underlying model behaviour.

Within **Organizational controls**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Annex A A.9.3) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Policy Management

**Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA.

### Operational checklist

-   **Define.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Monitor.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Govern.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Use.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** ai systems, governance.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.

Approved policies should define objectives for responsible AI use, and governance records should demonstrate monitoring and integration of those objectives into operational practice. Focus: Objectives for responsible use of AI systems.

## Common pitfalls

-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.5** — Contact with authorities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-5-contact-with-authorities)
-   [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC4.1** — Control Monitoring](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc4-1-control-monitoring)
-   [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.15** — Independent review](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-15-independent-review)

## Related controls in ISO/IEC 42001:2023

-   [**Annex A A.9.2** — Processes for responsible use of AI systems](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-9-2-processes-for-responsible-use-of-ai-systems)
-   [**Annex A A.9.4** — Intended use of AI systems](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-9-4-intended-use-of-ai-systems)
-   [**Annex A A.5.3** — Documentation of AI system impact assessments](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-5-3-documentation-of-ai-system-impact-assessments)
-   [**Annex A A.5.5** — Assessment of societal impact](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-5-5-assessment-of-societal-impact)
-   [**Annex A A.2.2** — Policies for the responsible development or use of AI systems](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-2-2-policies-for-the-responsible-development-or-use-of-ai-systems)
-   [**Annex A A.2.3** — Alignment with other organizational policies](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-42001-2023/a-2-3-alignment-with-other-organizational-policies)

## References

-   [ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 — ISO/IEC 42001:2023](https://www.iso.org/standard/81230.html)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Annex A A.9.3`

Topics: governance riskacceptable useai operationspolicy managementcontinuous monitoring