6 August 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA — Certified Artificial—a neutral, independent third-party certification service aiming to put public claims about artificial intelligence on more objective footing—announced today the launch of CAT-L, an innovative certification service that, for the first time, seeks to objectively evaluate thought-leaders in the field of artificial intelligence.
“The hype around artificial intelligence has created a market ripe for snake-oil thought-leadership,” said Clayton Aldern, a senior research partner with Certified Artificial. “Our market research suggests that businesses are frustrated and want a reliable manner of assessing which ‘experts’ out there really know their stuff. The service is tailor-made to address these needs.”
Certified Artificial also announced its first official rating, granting former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger the lowest possible “Do Not Recommend” rating. The service cited recent articles published by The Atlantic, including 2019’s “The Metamorphosis” and 2018’s “How The Enlightenment Ends.” Claims in these articles violated the certifying standard’s evaluative instruments.
“Certified Artificial is dedicated to providing honest, reliable evaluations,” explained Tim Hwang, technical director at the firm. “Secretary Kissinger is of course extremely knowledgeable in the domains of diplomacy and statecraft, but it’s clear he is missing some important background to be a thought-leader in AI.”
The Certification in AI Thought-Leadership (CAT-L) service evaluates AI thought-leaders based on a 50-point diagnostic tool developed by experts in the field of machine learning and technology studies. Thought-leaders are provided with a Bronze, Silver, or Gold ranking—and, indeed, may receive a “Do Not Recommend” evaluation from the agency. Certified Artificial is maintaining a public database of its rankings and provides digitally signed certificates and embeddable badges for qualified thought-leaders to use in their public materials.
The CAT-L certification costs $599 and can be initiated by a thought-leader interested in self-evaluation or by a business or individual seeking to evaluate a particular thought-leader. Certified Artificial will also proactively assign rankings as appropriate. Certifications can be requested at certifiedartificial.com/catl.
CAT-L joins Certified AI, a certification service also offered by the agency that allows businesses to seek independent verification of claims that their products and services do, in fact, integrate the latest breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence. The certification service assures buyers of AI products and services that those products truly leverage cutting-edge advances—as opposed to rudimentary statistical tools or simply groups of humans.
“AI has been co-opted by an avalanche of dodgy businesses who use the term as an empty marketing buzzword,” said Hwang. “We’re providing a critical service that empowers real businesses to differentiate themselves from companies just jumping on the bandwagon. We think this space is a growth industry, and we’re thrilled to announce more initiatives in the near future.”
Certified Artificial is a product of Standards International, a nimble standards-design consultancy with offices in Los Angeles and Seattle. Standards International provides end-to-end professionalization and standards development services. The agency is a leader in the field of Professionalization Sciences, the craft of constructing and refurbishing professional fields. Its services include credentialing system design, field popularization, conference and journal management, and interdisciplinary program brokering, among others. You can learn more at certifiedartificial.com. Press inquiries can be directed at press@certifiedartificial.com. For more about Standards International, visit standardsintl.com.