AI and the Future of Standards Developing Organizations: Balancing Opportunity and Integrity

Written By Lakshmy Mahon

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping industries across the globe. For Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), those who establish industry standards ensuring safety, quality, and interoperability the rise of AI presents both transformative opportunities and pressing challenges.

SDOs have always played a critical role in shaping industry practices. Their published standards provide the technical backbone for global markets, from construction and energy to healthcare and information security. Developing these standards requires immense investment, time, expertise, and collaboration from committees, subject matter experts, and member organizations. For many SDOs, the licensing and sale of standards documents are essential revenue streams that sustain their respective missions.

With AI’s growing presence, however, the very content that underpins these organizations faces new pressures around usage, distribution, and protection.

Key Challenges AI Creates for SDOs

  • Unauthorized Use in AI Training
    Many AI models are trained on vast amounts of digital text. Without safeguards, standards document risk being incorporated into training datasets without licensing or permissions, raising issues of copyright infringement, loss of control, and ethical use of intellectual property.

  • Accuracy and Integrity of Standards Information
    AI-generated outputs that summarize or approximate standards can easily miss nuance, leading to inaccuracies, misinterpretation, or even unsafe practices. In compliance-heavy and safety-critical sectors, even small deviations can carry significant risks.

  • Version Control and Updates
    Standards evolve frequently to address new technologies, safety considerations, and best practices. Yet AI systems may rely on outdated documents, exposing organizations to compliance gaps and liability if they follow obsolete guidance.

  • Licensing and Enforcement in a Digital World
    Ensuring that AI developers and users respect licensing frameworks is an ongoing challenge. Enforcement across global markets demands new legal, technical, and collaborative approaches to protect intellectual property and maintain trust.

The Opportunity Ahead

Despite these risks, AI also offers a path to stronger, smarter, and more accessible standards management. In fields like ESG reporting and compliance monitoring, AI is already helping organizations shift from fragmented spreadsheets to integrated, AI-powered platforms. With the right guardrails, AI can accelerate efficiency, scalability, and deeper insights.

The challenge and opportunity for SDOs lies in balancing innovation with integrity. That means embracing AI while ensuring that the accuracy, currency, and authority of standards remain uncompromised.

Citation Compliance™: Setting the Standard for AI and SDOs

Citation Compliance has partnered with SDOs for over 30 years, giving us a deep understanding of both the value of their intellectual property and the importance of protecting it. Our Citation Compliance Platform is purpose-built with SDO content in mind, offering:

  • Content Mapping to Regulations and Codes: Standards are ingested and mapped back to their authoritative sources, preserving intellectual property and ensuring data integrity.

  • NavLexa AI Integration: Our AI engine leverages extensive compliance knowledge to navigate standards and regulations—securely within the platform. Standards cannot be exported, ensuring protection against misuse.

  • SMART-Ready Leadership: Citation is the only compliance platform operating at Level 3 on the ISO SMART digital readiness scale, bridging today’s static standards with tomorrow’s machine-readable, AI-enabled ecosystem.

Despite the challenges, AI presents an opportunity for SDOs to strengthen the way standards are created, managed, and applied. With the right safeguards, AI can accelerate efficiency and accessibility while preserving the authority and integrity that make standards essential. Citation is forging a path forward—integrating AI responsibly to protect standards, ensure compliance, and position SDOs for the future.

Discover how Citation Compliance™ can help you navigate evolving regulations, streamline compliance, and enhance standards conformity.

 

Get in touch to learn more about Citation today.

Lakshmy Mahon

Lakshmy Mahon is the Chief Partnership Officer (CPO) at Citation Compliance, responsible for building, managing and optimizing the organization’s strategic relationships driving growth, innovation, and market expansion. Prior to this role, Lakshmy worked at the American Petroleum Institute (API) for over 16 years. During her tenure at API she served as the Director of Global Industry Services and was responsible for API’s Commercial businesses which included Certifications, Intellectual Property & Standards Distribution, Safety programs, and Training.

In her current role, she and the Citation Compliance team work closely with various industry members, regulators, government agencies, universities, international standards bodies, and other stakeholders to create custom platforms to further the overall use of necessary standards and regulations within the boundaries of Artificial Intelligence, copyright, licensing, and permissions. 

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