The certification Level-1 scheme is primarily about raising awareness in the community about existing efforts towards establishing best practices for trustworthy AI development and therefore based on "Self-declaration".

How to obtaining Level-1 certification

1. Review: the applicant reviews the whitepaper on trustworthy use of AI from KI.NRW.
2. Awareness Questionnaire: the applicant answers the questionnaire as a reassurance.
3. Self-declaration: the applicant submits a self-declaration form stating that the applicant is aware of the guidelines and would strive to adhere to them.
4. Digital Signature: the form is to be submitted with a digital signature by the applicant using keys validated by a mutually trusted certification authority.
5. AI-Marketplace Interview: the digitally signed self-declaration will be approved by the platform upon internal checks. This is carried out in a one-on-one meeting with the applicant.
6. Badge: after approval, a level-1 badge will be displayed in the profile of the applicant on the platform.

The certification Level-2 scheme is an extension of Level-1 scheme. Level-2 certification scheme is aimed at organizations which have already obtained one or more industry standard certifications.

How to obtaining Level-2 certification

1. Review: the applicant reviews the whitepaper on trustworthy use of AI from KI.NRW.
2. Awareness Questionnaire: the applicant answers the questionnaire as a reassurance.
3. Self-declaration: the applicant submits a self-declaration form stating that the applicant is aware of the guidelines and would strive to adhere to them.
4. Digital Signature: the form is to be submitted with a digital signature by the applicant using keys validated by a mutually trusted certification authority.
5. Existing Certificates: the applicant submits existing certifications from the following list of accepted certifications: 1) ISO 9001, 2) ISO 27001, 3) ISO/IEC DIS 27070, 4) ISO/IEC 33001, 5) ISO/IEC 90003, 6) BSI C5. Other certifications can also be considered based on merit. .
6. AI-Marketplace Interview: the digitally signed self-declaration will be approved by the platform upon internal checks. This is carried out in a one-on-one meeting with the applicant.
7. Badge: after approval, a level-2 badge will be displayed in the profile of the applicant on the platform.

The certification Level-3 scheme is the most elaborate and involves a manual audit by an expert. This scheme is aimed at use-cases that are critical and therefore must be scrutinized individually.

How to obtaining Level-3 certification

1. Existing Level-1 or Level-2 Certification: the applicant must already acquire a Level-1 or Level-2 Certificate.
2. Submit Application: the applicant must provide the executable application, sample dataset, documentation, etc., of the AI system to the auditor upon proper authorization and non-disclosure agreements.
3. Audit: the application is then audited by experts based on the published guidelines.
4. Approval: the inputs from the auditor are checked and approved by the AI-Marketplace team. .
5. Badge: once approved, a level-3 badge will be displayed on the platform for the specific application listing.