Created in collaboration with practitioners from Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, KPMG, Deloitte, NTT Knowledge, GE Healthcare, GlobalLogic, Prudential and Salesforce, the Undertake. Defend. Govern. (ADG) Framework supplies enterprises with a unified working mannequin; three pillars, 12 minimal controls, and 9 governance surfaces. It’s designed to align with the EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, and the NIST AI RMF
EC-Council, the worldwide credentialing physique accountable for the internationally acknowledged Licensed Moral Hacker (CEH) certification and one of many world’s main authorities in cybersecurity training, workforce improvement, and standards-based coaching, has introduced the launch of its proprietary Undertake. Defend. Govern. (ADG) AI Framework and a free AI Readiness Self-Evaluation Device to assist organizations securely undertake, operationalize, and govern synthetic intelligence at scale.
Developed with enter from practitioners and advisory board members throughout organizations together with Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, KPMG, Deloitte, NTT Knowledge, GE Healthcare, GlobalLogic, Prudential and Salesforce, the ADG Framework offers enterprises a unified working mannequin; three pillars, 12 minimal controls, and 9 governance surfaces. The framework is designed to align with the EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, and the NIST AI RMF.
The urgency round AI governance is rising as organizations and enterprises speed up AI adoption throughout enterprise operations. World AI spending is projected to achieve $2.5 trillion in 2026, reflecting the pace and scale of enterprise deployment. But governance maturity stays critically low: business findings present that just one% of leaders consider their AI governance capabilities have reached maturity, whereas 78% of executives say they’d not really feel assured in passing an AI governance audit throughout the subsequent 90 days.
Additionally Learn: AIThority Interview With Rohit Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Portkey
The widening hole between AI acceleration and AI accountability is growing strain on organizations to deal with technical, societal, operational, and systemic AI danger on the similar time. Many are deploying more and more autonomous AI techniques whereas nonetheless counting on fragmented insurance policies, outdated safety fashions, and governance buildings that battle underneath real-world working strain.
The ADG Framework has been developed to shut this hole. Greater than a theoretical governance mannequin, ADG is a practitioner-led execution framework engineered for real-world deployment. Designed by professionals actively managing AI danger in a few of the world’s most advanced working environments, the framework establishes enforceable minimal controls, operational validation requirements, governance surfaces, implementation overlays, and accountability mechanisms that organizations can apply throughout AI techniques, agentic AI environments, multi-model architectures, and huge language mannequin ecosystems.
“Most organizations approached AI with a deploy-first mindset, prioritizing pace whereas governance and safety struggled to maintain tempo,” stated Jay Bavisi, Group President, EC-Council. “The result’s that organizations at the moment are scaling AI techniques sooner than they’ll securely govern them. The ADG Framework was developed to revive operational self-discipline, set up accountability, and assist organizations operationalize AI responsibly earlier than governance failures develop into systemic enterprise liabilities.”
AI With out Guardrails Is a Enterprise Danger
The ADG Framework is organized round three deeply built-in operational capabilities designed to create an entire governance life cycle for contemporary AI techniques:
- Undertake
Helps organizations align AI deployment with enterprise targets, operational readiness, workforce functionality, and implementation accountability.
- Defend
Focuses on securing AI techniques towards evolving threats together with immediate injection, adversarial manipulation, mannequin exploitation, knowledge poisoning, and AI provide chain compromise.
- Govern
Embeds oversight, auditability, governance accountability, and danger administration into AI techniques from deployment by means of enterprise-scale operations.
Collectively, the framework introduces 12 minimal controls, 9 governance surfaces, 9 deployment overlays, and three autonomy tiers masking technical, societal, operational, and systemic AI danger domains. Each management references main world requirements and frameworks together with the EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, NIST AI RMF, OWASP Prime 10 for LLM and Agentic AI, and MITRE ATLAS, serving to organizations strengthen governance maturity whereas decreasing compliance fragmentation.
AI Readiness Self-Evaluation Device Introduces Operational Visibility
Alongside the framework, EC-Council has launched a free AI Readiness Self-Evaluation Device to assist organizations consider their governance posture earlier than vulnerabilities emerge at scale.
The device allows organizations to measure AI maturity throughout governance readiness, implementation self-discipline, operational resilience, safety posture, and accountability buildings whereas mapping findings right into a prioritized implementation roadmap. For boards, regulators, and government management groups going through rising scrutiny round AI governance, the device supplies an evidence-based view of organizational AI publicity and governance preparedness.
“The framework’s three pillars replicate the cross-functional mannequin that main AI organizations like Salesforce have used to scale AI responsibly. It establishes a stable, replicable blueprint throughout any business, deployment mannequin, or regulatory setting.” stated Kathy Baxter, Principal Architect, VP of Accountable AI & Tech at Salesforce, AI Advisory Board Member, and Contributor to the ADG Framework.
New AI Certifications Aligned to the ADG Framework
To help implementation of the framework, EC-Council has additionally launched three new AI certifications aligned with the ADG working mannequin. The certifications are designed to assist organizations construct workforce capabilities round AI governance, offensive AI safety, and accountable AI implementation.
The certifications embrace:
- Licensed AI Program Supervisor (CAIPM)
- Licensed Offensive AI Safety Skilled (COASP)
- Licensed Accountable AI Governance and Ethics Skilled (CRAGE)
The applications assist practitioners consider, take a look at, safe, and govern AI techniques throughout trendy working environments.
“The ADG Framework is the working mannequin that enterprise AI has been lacking. It turns summary requirements into auditable practices and resolves the actual stress between supply pace and security. For a board, that’s the distinction between scaling a fleet of brokers with confidence and taking a leap of religion.” stated Lewis V. Adams, VP, Enterprise AI & Capital Productiveness Transformation at Citi, AI Advisory Board Member, and Contributor to the ADG Framework.
Open, Neighborhood-Pushed, and Constructed to Scale
The ADG Framework is designed as an open, community-driven initiative that organizations can undertake freely, with out licensing charges or vendor lock-in. It’s structured to evolve alongside AI applied sciences whereas enabling practitioners, enterprises, governance leaders, and safety groups to contribute to the continued improvement of operational AI governance requirements.
“The business doesn’t lack AI frameworks; it lacks operational readability. The ADG framework locations a powerful emphasis on AI safety, significantly in addressing adversarial dangers and mannequin vulnerabilities, whereas additionally mapping broader governance and regulatory expectations. What’s particularly precious is its inclusion of measurable indicators, which helps organizations transfer from high-level ideas to extra actionable and trackable AI danger administration as they transition into real-world deployment.” stated ShanShan Pa, World Head of AI & Knowledge Governance at GlobalLogic, AI Advisory Board Member, and Contributor to the ADG Framework.
Additionally Learn: AI-Pushed Danger Intelligence: How FIs Are Predicting Systemic Shocks
[To share your insights with us, please write to psen@itechseries.com]
