The value of PAI certification rests on the independence of the standard that underpins it. This page states our policy on vendor relationships and commercial influence — clearly, without qualification.
PAI does not accept sponsorship, funding, or material support from AI model vendors (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta AI, Mistral AI, or any other), cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, or any other), or any company whose commercial interests could be affected by the content of the Production Safety Framework. This prohibition applies to the institution and its certification reviewers.
The content of the Production Safety Framework is not for sale. No organisation may pay to have specific content included, emphasised, or excluded from the PSF. Framework changes are made solely on the basis of practitioner-submitted evidence, public comment, and Committee deliberation. Sponsorship of PAI research or events does not confer any influence over framework content.
PAI reviewers (for CPAP and CPAA portfolio reviews) do not assess submissions from organisations where they have a financial relationship. This is logged and disclosed in the review record.
The PAI Workflow Studio is a free tool used by practitioners to design and document production AI workflows. Using the Studio has no effect on certification eligibility or assessment outcomes. CPAP and CPAA can be achieved using any tooling, or no tooling.
PAI is funded by certification fees — the fees paid by practitioners for CPAP and CPAA assessments, and by organisations for CAI and CAE recognition. AIDA and AIMA are offered at no charge to maximise access to the credential. The Studio is free. PAI revenue comes from CPAP/CPAA assessment fees and organisation recognition fees. No revenue stream creates a financial incentive to lower certification standards or favour any specific technology approach.
If you believe PAI has acted in a manner inconsistent with this independence policy, we want to know. Concerns may be submitted via the contact page. All submissions are reviewed and a written response is provided within 14 days.