Overview
EN ISO/IEC 25059:2024 (ISO/IEC 25059:2023) is a SQuaRE extension that defines a quality model for AI systems. Published by CEN as the European adoption of the ISO/IEC standard, it provides a consistent set of quality characteristics and sub‑characteristics to specify, measure and evaluate the quality of AI systems. The standard addresses both product quality and quality in use, and is intended as an application‑specific augmentation of the SQuaRE family (ISO/IEC 250xx).
Key topics and requirements
- Product quality model: Defines AI‑specific quality characteristics such as
- Functional correctness
- Functional adaptability
- Robustness
- User controllability
- Transparency
- Intervenability
- Quality in use model: Covers user‑ and societal‑level outcomes, including societal and ethical risk mitigation and transparency of AI behaviour for stakeholders.
- Terminology and measures: Establishes consistent terms and measurement constructs for AI quality (measures, indicators, derived measures) to support specification and evaluation.
- Scope and applicability: Intended as an application‑specific extension to ISO/IEC 25010 (SQuaRE system and software quality models); provides a checklist of quality characteristics for assessing completeness of stated quality requirements.
- Normative references: Integrates concepts from ISO/IEC 22989 (AI terminology), ISO/IEC 23053 (ML framework) and links to guidance on testing and trustworthiness (e.g., ISO/IEC TR 24028, ISO/IEC TR 29119‑11).
Practical applications
- Use EN ISO/IEC 25059:2024 to:
- Specify AI quality requirements in procurement, contracts and design specifications.
- Design evaluation and test plans that target AI‑specific quality attributes (robustness, transparency, intervenability).
- Perform AI system assessment and audits for compliance, risk management and certification readiness.
- Align cross‑functional teams (developers, QA, product owners, compliance officers) on common terminology and measurable quality goals.
- Typical users:
- AI system developers and architects
- QA/test engineers and evaluators
- Product managers and system integrators
- Risk, ethics and compliance officers
- Procurement teams and regulators
Related standards
EN ISO/IEC 25059:2024 is a practical, standards‑based resource for organizations aiming to specify, measure and evaluate the quality of AI systems consistently across development, testing and governance activities.