ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025
(Main)Artificial intelligence — Testing of AI — Part 2: Overview of testing AI systems
Artificial intelligence — Testing of AI — Part 2: Overview of testing AI systems
This document provides requirements and guidance on the application of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 series to the testing of AI systems. This document follows a risk-based approach and uses risks associated with AI systems, and their development and maintenance, to identify suitable test practices, approaches and techniques applicable to AI systems and their components. When the test practices, approaches and techniques are already specified in the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 series, this document provides additional detail and describes their application in the context of AI systems.
Intelligence artificielle — Test des IA — Partie 2: Vue d'ensemble du test de systèmes d'IA
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
Technical
Specification
ISO/IEC TS 42119-2
First edition
Artificial intelligence — Testing of
2025-11
AI —
Part 2:
Overview of testing AI systems
Intelligence artificielle — Test des IA —
Partie 2: Vue d'ensemble du test de systèmes d'IA
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms .8
5 Introduction to AI systems and software testing .8
5.1 General .8
5.2 AI system life cycle .8
5.3 AI system functional view .9
5.4 Risk-based testing .10
5.5 Test processes .11
5.5.1 General .11
5.5.2 Test processes in the context of the AI system life cycle .11
5.6 Test documentation . 12
5.7 Testing stakeholders . 12
6 Identifying risks in AI systems .12
7 Test approaches for testing AI systems .13
7.1 Introduction to test approaches for AI systems . 13
7.2 Test levels . 13
7.3 Test types .14
7.3.1 Introduction .14
7.3.2 Common test types . .14
7.3.3 Specialist data quality test types . 15
7.3.4 Specialist AI model test types .18
7.3.5 Static testing of knowledge engineering systems . 20
7.4 Test design techniques and measures . 20
7.4.1 Introduction . 20
7.4.2 Common test design techniques .21
7.4.3 Common test coverage measures . 22
7.4.4 Specialist test coverage measures . 23
Annex A (informative) Introduction to software testing .25
Annex B (informative) Characteristics of AI systems .28
Annex C (informative) Example risk assessment .29
Bibliography .33
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity.
ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/
IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the
use of (a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any
claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers
are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared jointly by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittees SC 7 Software and systems engineering and SC 42, Artificial intelligence.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 42119 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iv
Introduction
This document facilitates understanding of how ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-1, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2,
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-4 and ISO/IEC 20246 apply to the testing of AI systems.
The purpose of ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 (all parts) is to define an internationally agreed set of standards for
software testing that can be used by any organization when performing any form of software testing.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-1 introduces software testing concepts, which can be applied to any AI system.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2 comprises test process descriptions that define the software test processes at the
organizational level, test management level and dynamic test levels. It supports dynamic testing, functional
and non-functional testing, manual and automated testing and scripted and unscripted testing, and can be
utilized for the testing of any software-based system, including AI systems.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3 defines software test documentation. The requirements specified for templates and
examples of test documentation defined in ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3 can be met in the test documentation for
any AI system.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-4 defines test design techniques, which can be utilized for the testing of AI systems and
their components.
ISO/IEC 20246 defines processes and templates for work product reviews, including inspections,
walkthroughs and technical reviews.
This document explains how ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2 can be adopted for the testing of AI systems and their
components and how the test documentation templates defined in ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3 can be implemented
when testing AI systems and their components. This document also explains how ISO/IEC 20246 can be
adopted for the review of AI systems and related documentation. This document is structured as follows:
— Clauses 1 to 4 define the scope, normative references, terms and definitions and abbreviated terms;
— Clause 5 defines concepts of AI system architectures, the AI system life cycle and testing processes and
documentation;
— Clause 6 explains how risk is identified for AI systems;
— Clause 7 defines test approaches suitable for testing AI systems and components;
— Annexes A to C provide supporting details and examples.
The aim of the ISO/IEC 42119 series is to provide requirements and guidance on the testing of AI components
and systems.
Other parts of the ISO/IEC 42119 series include:
— ISO/IEC TS 42119-3 describes approaches and provides guidance on processes for the verification and
validation analysis of AI systems;
— ISO/IEC TS 42119-7 provides technology-agnostic guidance for conducting red teaming assessments on
AI systems;
— ISO/IEC TS 42119-8 provides definitions, concepts, requirements and guidance related to assessing
prompt-based text-to-text AI systems that utilize generative AI.
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
v
Technical Specification ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025(en)
Artificial intelligence — Testing of AI —
Part 2:
Overview of testing AI systems
1 Scope
This document provides requirements and guidance on the application of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 series
to the testing of AI systems. This document follows a risk-based approach and uses risks associated
with AI systems, and their development and maintenance, to identify suitable test practices, approaches
and techniques applicable to AI systems and their components. When the test practices, approaches and
techniques are already specified in the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 series, this document provides additional detail
and describes their application in the context of AI systems.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the editi
...
Questions, Comments and Discussion
Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.