Where Assay came from, and what it is for

The IDEA standard was developed in enterprise procurement, where the problem it addresses is felt most sharply: organisations buy AI implementation work with no independent way to know whether it was done well. It was built and refined against real engagements before it was anything as formal as a standard.

The standard was contributed to the Foundation by OAI Limited, the firm that developed it. The Foundation is being set up as an independent body to steward it, so that the standard is held in the public interest rather than owned as a commercial asset. The founder arrangement is disclosed on the independence page.

The Foundation exists to make AI implementation work easier to assess, explain and trust for the people who buy and audit it. It publishes the standard, accredits independent Assayers, and keeps a public Register. Independent Assayers assess specific engagements against the standard; work that passes receives a Hallmark and a record anyone can check.

The Foundation does not assess engagements, deliver implementation work or engage Practitioners. A Hallmark attaches to one assessed engagement, never to a supplier as a whole.

An assay is a test of quality, and a hallmark is the mark struck on work that passes. The Foundation borrows that structure from the assay offices that have tested and marked precious metal for centuries, because the problem is the same: how a buyer can rely on the quality of something they cannot easily test themselves.

The borrowing is open. The Foundation claims a well-tested structure, not a long lineage. It was founded in 2026 and makes no claim of age or scale beyond what is true.

Incorporation is pending. Until it is complete, the Foundation makes no claim of company registration, charitable status or statutory recognition, and formal details appear as placeholders.