DSI 001Decision Standards Institute
DSI 001 · The Standard

Six dimensions. One score. A system-level read.

Organisation-level instruments establish that a company has a management system. DSI 001 evaluates the governance posture of a specific autonomous decision system, on a 1.0 to 5.0 scale where lower is stronger.

DSI 001 Version 1.0. Effective [25 June 2026].

The six dimensions

D1Autonomy Gradient. Operational autonomy, commitment authority, oversight adequacy.
D2Data Sensitivity. Exposure created by the data the system processes.
D3Contract Infrastructure. Whether liability is allocated across the chain.
D4Liability Architecture. Treatment of autonomous-action (AE3) consequences.
D5Commercial Leverage. Dependency that locks governance in.
D6Adaptive Stability. Governance-maintenance capacity over time.

Read the six dimensions in full →

Two reads, not one

The GBI assesses whether governance is adequately designed. The GCI, the Governance Coherence Index, assesses whether it is exercised in practice, the way SOC 2 Type II tests operating effectiveness. A strong GBI with a failing GCI means governance was designed and is not being exercised.

Evidence under EIS-01

Tier 1 is infrastructure-generated and contemporaneous, Tier 3 is reconstructed, and management representations are excluded from certification.

What DSI 001 adds

InstrumentWhat it establishesWhat it does not do
ISO/IEC 42001Organisation-level AI management systemDoes not assess a specific system's governance posture
SOC 2Control operating effectiveness over timeNot specific to autonomous decision-making
NIST AI RMFA voluntary risk-management frameworkNot a classification, and not legal compliance
AI VerifyTesting and process for responsible deploymentNot a portable, third-party system-level signal

These are complementary. An organisation that holds them may assess faster, because relevant evidence already exists.

The standard documents

Classify a system

Take the applicability test, or commission an assessment through an accredited assessor.

Status and limits. A GBI result carries evidential value only when issued by an accredited DSI 001 assessor against the methodology; self-scored or indicative figures are not DSI 001 results. DSI 001 does not determine legal compliance, regulatory approval, insurability, creditworthiness, or the discharge of fiduciary duties. It provides a scoped governance classification and evidence record that may be relevant to those analyses.