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The first intergovernmental standard on AI, adopted by the OECD in 2019 and updated in 2024, setting values-based principles for trustworthy AI.

Because governments and standards bodies reuse the OECD wording, aligning an internal AI policy with these principles makes it easier to map to the EU AI Act, the NIST AI RMF and customer AI questionnaires without rewriting it for each.

A marketing agency drafts its AI policy with one section per OECD principle, such as transparency and accountability, then links each section to concrete controls like disclosure labels on AI-generated copy and a named reviewer for every client deliverable.

The principles are a non-binding recommendation with no certification or enforcement. They are deliberately high level, so two organizations can both claim alignment while applying very different controls in practice.

The OECD Recommendation on Artificial Intelligence contains five values-based principles: inclusive growth and well-being; human rights and democratic values, including fairness and privacy; transparency and explainability; robustness, security and safety; and accountability. It adds five recommendations for governments on research investment, an enabling ecosystem, interoperable governance, skills and international cooperation. The OECD definition of an AI system, revised in 2023, informed the definition used in the EU AI Act.