Common questions about our governance framework, assessment tools, and methodology.
The Ethos Institute is an independent AI governance research and advisory organisation. We provide evidence-based frameworks, assessment tools, and training programmes to help organisations implement responsible AI governance. Our methodology is grounded in 35 years of research and aligned with international standards including the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, and ISO/IEC 42001.
ETHOS represents five core principles: Ethics, Trust, Human-centred design, Openness, and Stewardship. The name also derives from the ancient Greek êthos, meaning character or disposition—the root of the word "ethics."
Our tools serve enterprises, SMEs, public sector organisations, third sector organisations (charities, NGOs, educational institutions), and individual professionals. Each assessment adapts its scoring thresholds and recommendations based on organisation type and size.
The core maturity assessment takes approximately 20–30 minutes and covers 30 questions across the 10 pillars of the Bridge Framework. You receive an instant report with a maturity score, gap analysis, and prioritised recommendations.
The core Risk Assessment and Maturity Assessment are free to use. Specialist modules (Cultural Intelligence, AI Responsibility Index, Cybersecurity Governance, Data Privacy, Partner Readiness, and Creative Intelligence) are available through membership plans.
The Bridge Framework is our 10-pillar assessment architecture covering: Ethical Leadership & Governance, Purpose & Value, Human Centricity & Agency, Transparency & Explainability, Equity & Fairness, Safety & Reliability, Data Governance, Environmental Sustainability, Lifecycle Management, and Continuous Improvement. It synthesises requirements from the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, and other standards into a practical governance model.
The assessments measure governance maturity. The ROI Calculator quantifies the financial return on governance investment—modelling risk reduction, compliance cost savings, and productivity gains to help build the business case for AI governance initiatives.
Yes. Our frameworks map directly to EU AI Act requirements, including risk classification, documentation obligations, human oversight provisions, and conformity assessment procedures. The maturity assessment identifies specific gaps in EU AI Act readiness.
Our methodology is aligned with the EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0), ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems), ISO/IEC 23894 (AI Risk Management), the OECD AI Principles, and the UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics.
No. Our assessments provide governance maturity evaluation and identify areas for improvement. They do not constitute legal advice, compliance certification, or formal audit. We recommend consulting qualified legal and compliance professionals for specific regulatory requirements.
We offer three tiers: Foundation (AI governance fundamentals), Practitioner (implementation and framework application), and Expert (strategic governance leadership). Each programme combines self-paced learning with practical exercises.
Individual certifications include the AI Governance Practitioner (AIGP), AI Governance Professional (AIG-P), and AI Governance Expert (AIG-E). Organisational certifications include AI-Aware, AI-Governed, and AI-Responsible designations.
Assessment responses are stored securely and used solely for generating your results and improving our assessment methodology. We do not share individual assessment data without explicit consent. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Yes. Contact us at privacy@ethos.institute to request data deletion. We process all deletion requests within 30 days in accordance with GDPR and applicable data protection regulations.
Yes. The core Risk Assessment, Maturity Assessment, and Get Started quiz are available free of charge. Specialist modules, training programmes, and certification require a membership plan.
Yes. We offer scholarship pricing for academic researchers, students, and nonprofit organisations. See our Scholarships page for eligibility criteria and application details.
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