The internationally applicable, framework defining the minimum conditions required for an AI system to be lawful in origin, traceable in lineage, and defensible under legal and regulatory scrutiny across all jurisdictions in which it operates.
The forensic benchmark for legally defensible artificial intelligence
The Provenance & Integrity Standard
The Provenance & Integrity Standard Volume I is anticipated for release within the next two to three months [July - August]
Organizations may register interest in certification ahead of publication.
Purpose of the Standard
An original forensic benchmark for international AI provenance due diligence
The Standard provides a unified, forensic framework for provenance assurance, governance verification, and vendor-independent AI development. It protects institutions from hidden liabilities, unstable vendors, and unverifiable system origins by defining the minimum conditions required for AI systems to be legally defensible. The Provenance & Integrity Standard is an original forensic benchmark authored independently by ATIC, not a translation of existing frameworks, and stands as the primary international standard against which AI provenance, data lineage, and governance integrity are evaluated for litigation. As a specialized body within the global AI standards ecosystem, ATIC authors and maintains concrete, certifiable requirements that organizations can operationalize and that courts, regulators, and counterparties in any jurisdiction can rely upon. The Standard governs all evaluations conducted by ATIC accredited certification bodies, establishing the forensic benchmark against which AI builders and deployers are evaluated for certification, and against which AI assets are assessed in mergers, acquisitions, and major transactions. ATIC's determinations assess documentation sufficiency and governance practices at the time of evaluation, not the legal validity of specific datasets. Organizations that misrepresent documentation to obtain certification bear full responsibility for that misrepresentation.
Scope of the Standard
What the Standard applies to
AI system provenance claims and data sourcing governance
AI systems subject to transactional due diligence
Cross-border, multi-jurisdictional, and international AI systems
Model development workflows and lineage documentation
Vendor-provided, internal, and enterprise AI systems due diligence
Core Principles
Five principles of forensic AI integrity
Organizations must demonstrate that data sourcing practices are legitimate, licensed, or otherwise lawful — establishing the evidentiary foundation required to defend against copyright, licensing, and data rights claims across all applicable jurisdictions. Lawful origins are assessed through the completeness and credibility of sourcing documentation, not through technical inspection of data. Every dataset must carry a documented lawful basis. Documentation gaps constitute remediations required before certification is granted.
01
Lawful Origins
Institutions must maintain documentation establishing a verifiable chain of custody for the data they use — producing the forensic record required to demonstrate provenance under adversarial examination across all jurisdictions of operation.
02
Traceable Lineage
Organizations must uphold governance controls that prevent contamination, duplication, and unmanaged synthetic instability, ensuring the system's foundational integrity is documentable and defensible across all applicable jurisdictions.
03
Structural Integrity
Institutions must maintain sovereignty over their data, models, and critical dependencies, protecting against supply chain liability and ensuring governance cannot be undermined by vendor failure or opacity, including in cross-border vendor relationships.
04
Vendor Independence
AI systems must be auditable, explainable, and legally resilient, meaning their development, governance, and deployment can withstand scrutiny from courts, regulators, and counterparties in any jurisdiction without reconstruction after the fact.
05
Defensible Intelligence
A structured framework for international coverage Jurisdictional Annex Architecture
Jurisdictional Annex Architecture
Certification by ATIC accredited bodies is evaluated directly against jurisdictional annexes. Each annex translates the five principles into the precise legal language, evidentiary requirements, and regulatory expectations of a specific jurisdiction. The base certification covers the organization's domestic jurisdictional annex. Additional annexes are added for each further jurisdiction of operation. The public registry specifies which annexes a certified organization holds — giving courts, regulators, and counterparties immediate clarity on the scope of their certification.
Jurisdictional annexes are currently under development for the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, with an anticipated release date of July-August 2026. Additional jurisdictional and sector-specific annexes are in development and will be introduced in subsequent phases.
Certification before disputes arise: Pre-Litigation Policy
Pre-Litigation Policy
Certification against the Provenance and Integrity Standard is designed for organizations prior to active litigation. Certifications obtained before any dispute carry full forensic weight as independently produced documentation of due diligence, reflecting a neutral determination made under ordinary business conditions rather than adversarial ones. Organizations under active litigation may still apply for certification. However, certifications obtained during active proceedings carry a distinct designation that explicitly acknowledges the timing, and the certification report issued by the accredited body will reflect the date of evaluation and the scope of documentation reviewed accordingly. The full forensic weight of certification against the Standard is preserved exclusively for organizations that act before any dispute arises.
Versioning and updating
A living forensic benchmark
The Standard evolves in response to developments in litigation, regulatory enforcement actions, and legislative developments across all major jurisdictions, ensuring ATIC's forensic benchmark remains current with the legal and market conditions that define AI liability internationally. All revisions are published transparently with version numbers and effective dates.
Research findings
Emerging legal and technical developments across all relevant jurisdictions
Annual review
Institutional oversight and scheduled cycles
Advisory input
Board, council, chamber, and panel recommendations
Public comment
Open comment periods before revision
Public Benefit Statement
A public-benefit framework for generations
The Standard exists to protect institutions, the public, democratic processes, and the long-term stability of the international AI ecosystems. It is a public-benefit framework designed to ensure that artificial intelligence remains lawful, traceable, and defensible, not only for those who build and deploy it today, but for the institutions and communities across the world that will depend on it for generations.