PAI
Production AI Institute
productionai.institute
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Independent · Model-agnostic · Practitioner-led

The global standard for
production AI deployment

The Production AI Institute maintains the Production Safety Framework — the independent, vendor-neutral benchmark for deploying AI systems safely and responsibly in production environments.

Get AIDA certified — no chargeRead the PSF
8
Framework domains
Free
AIDA examination
5
Business days to CPAP review
2024
PSF v1.0 published

What the Institute does

Three interconnected functions — standard-setting, assessment, and research — that reinforce one another.

The Standard

The Production Safety Framework (PSF) defines what it means to deploy AI safely in production — covering eight domains from data governance to incident response. Published openly. Referenced freely.

Read the PSF

Certification

PAI credentials verify that a practitioner or organisation meets the PSF standard. Assessments are independent, rigorous, and held to the same standard regardless of which vendor's tools you use.

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Research

PAI publishes original research on production AI safety: incident patterns, framework evolution, and guidance on emerging regulatory requirements including the EU AI Act.

View research
The Framework

The Production Safety Framework

The PSF defines eight domains of practice that a production AI deployment must address. It is model-agnostic and cloud-agnostic — it applies whether you run GPT-4o on Azure, Claude on AWS Bedrock, or a self-hosted Llama instance.

The framework is published openly and free to reference, cite, and adapt. Version 1.0 was published in 2024.

DOMAIN 01
Data Governance & PII
Personal data handling, consent chains, tokenisation before inference.
DOMAIN 02
Model Selection & Evaluation
Benchmark methodology, capability assessment, fitness-for-purpose validation.
DOMAIN 03
Production Architecture
Model-agnostic design patterns, abstraction layers, vendor portability.
DOMAIN 04
Guardrails & Output Validation
Pre- and post-inference filtering, structured output contracts, rejection handling.
DOMAIN 05
Human Oversight
Escalation design, human-in-the-loop checkpoints for high-stakes decisions.
DOMAIN 06
Observability & Monitoring
Inference logging, drift detection, quality scoring, alert thresholds.
DOMAIN 07
Incident Response
Rollback procedures, failure modes, post-incident review standards.
DOMAIN 08
Ethics & Accountability
Bias assessment, documentation obligations, accountability chain design.
Individual Certification

Your certification pathway

Each credential builds on the last. Start with AIDA to establish foundational knowledge. Progress through CPAP and CPAA as your practical experience deepens.

AIDA
AI Deployment Associate

Demonstrates foundational knowledge of the PSF across all eight domains. The baseline credential for any practitioner working with AI in production.

Format20-question examination
Timeline15–20 minutes
FeeNo charge
Begin examination
CPAP
Certified Production AI Practitioner

Requires evidence of a real production deployment meeting PSF criteria. Reviewed by a PAI assessor. The credential employers specify when they want assurance, not just knowledge.

FormatPortfolio submission + expert review
TimelineReviewed within 5 business days
Fee$297
Learn more
CPAA
Certified Production AI Architect

The most rigorous individual PAI credential. Portfolio review followed by a structured interview with a panel of practitioners. Fewer than 500 holders globally.

FormatPortfolio + panel interview
TimelinePanel scheduled within 10 business days
Fee$997
Learn more
View all certifications and pathways →
Organisational Recognition

For consultancies and enterprises

The Certified AI Integrator (CAI) designation recognises consultancies and MSPs whose teams hold PAI credentials and whose delivery methodology meets the PSF standard. CAI status signals to procurement teams that an organisation's AI practice is independently verified.

The Certified AI Enterprise (CAE) designation is the equivalent for large organisations deploying AI internally at scale.

Explore organisational certification →
Certified AI Integrator (CAI)

For consultancies and MSPs. Requires minimum AIDA holders on staff and reviewed client deliverables.

Annual fee: $4,997 / year
Certified AI Enterprise (CAE)

For enterprises deploying AI internally. Framework compliance audit plus ongoing governance review.

Annual fee: $12,997 / year

Independent governance. No vendor influence.

PAI accepts no sponsorship from AI model vendors, cloud providers, or platform companies. The Production Safety Framework is developed by practitioners for practitioners, and reviewed through an open comment process.

This independence is the foundation of the credential's value. An employer specifying PAI certification knows the standard was not written by a vendor with a platform to sell.

Governance model →·Independence policy →·Exam development →
WorkflowOS Studio

A visual canvas tool used by PAI-certified practitioners to map, document, and export production AI workflow architectures.

Practitioners preparing for CPAP use WorkflowOS Studio to build and document portfolio evidence — the deployed workflows that assessors review.

Export packages include YAML specifications, integration documentation, and executive flow views.

A tool for practitioners building to the standard

WorkflowOS Studio is the design environment used by PAI practitioners. Practitioners consistently report that mapping their process architecture in Studio accelerates their readiness for CPAP review.

Open Studio freeView plans

Begin with the AIDA examination

The AIDA examination takes 15–20 minutes and is offered at no charge. It covers all eight PSF domains and is the baseline credential for any practitioner working with AI in production.

Begin the AIDA examination →View all certifications