Strategic positioning
ACF vs AI Act / ISO 42001 / NIST AI RMF / GDPR

ACF does not replace existing AI standards.

It operationalises them.

Every major reference framework regulates AI. ACF® operates one layer lower: the agentic decision. This page shows how each of the 17 ACF® cards lines up against the EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, the NIST AI RMF, the GDPR and COBIT — so any compliance team can map ACF into their existing audit trail in minutes.

Beyond the SaaS: Lawyer Console + dedicated expert services on demand
Executive view

How ACF compares in one paragraph.

The dominant standards in each governance domain answer the question. ACF answers the next question — what to do about it, at the decision layer.

NeedDominant existing answerWhat ACF adds
AI complianceEU AI ActAI Act + operationalisation at the decision layer
AI managementISO/IEC 42001ISO 42001 + agentic decision control
AI risk managementNIST AI RMFRisk + agentic autonomy & criticality
Data protectionGDPRGDPR + signed automated arbitrations
Detailed correspondence matrix

Each ACF card mapped to AI Act, ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF, GDPR and COBIT.

Conservative mappings: when a card touches several articles, we cite the primary one. Full mapping (including secondary references) is reproduced inside the ACF® toolkit manual.

ACF cardEU AI ActISO/IEC 42001NIST AI RMFGDPRCOBIT 2019
ACF-00
Sovereignty Score
Measures the decisional sovereignty retained when deploying autonomous systems.
Art. 9Risk management systemClause 6.1.2AI risk assessmentMAP-3AI risks and benefitsArt. 35DPIAEDM-01Governance framework
ACF-01
Decision Map
Maps the agent's decisions and the human approval chain that governs them.
Art. 14Human oversightClause 8.4 / A.6AI system operationGOVERN-1.1Defined rolesArt. 22Automated decision-makingEDM-03Risk optimisation
ACF-02
Criticality Matrix
Classifies each agent by criticality, impact and irreversibility.
Art. 6 + Annex IIIHigh-risk classificationClause 6.1.2Risk categorisationMAP-2CategorisationArt. 35DPIA thresholdAPO-12Managed risk
ACF-03
Agentic Constitution
Internal charter defining who decides what, how and within which limits.
Art. 5 + Art. 26Prohibited practices + deployer dutiesClause 5.2AI policyGOVERN-2Cultivate cultureArt. 25Privacy by designEDM-01Governance setting
ACF-04
Agent Card
Operational identity of each agent: scope, data, tools, autonomy level.
Art. 11 + Art. 26(6)Technical documentation + logs retentionClause 7.5 + 8.1Documented information / operational planningMAP-1System contextArt. 30Records of processingBAI-09Managed assets
ACF-05
Supervision & Governance
Continuous supervision mechanisms with the DDAO role as the human pivot.
Art. 14 + Art. 26(5)Human oversight + deployer monitoringClause 5.3 + 9.1Roles + monitoringGOVERN-3 / MANAGE-2.3Workforce / ongoing monitoringArt. 22 + Art. 37-39Automated decisions + DPOMEA-02Internal control
ACF-06
Kill Switch
Emergency stop procedure for a drifting agent.
Art. 14(4) + Art. 26(5)Stop button + suspend obligationClause 8.3Operational controlsMANAGE-4DecommissioningArt. 22(3)Right to contest / withdrawDSS-02Service requests & incidents
ACF-07
First Agent Briefing
Qualification dossier before the first production deployment.
Art. 11–13 + Art. 17Documentation + QMSClause 8.1 + 6.2Operational planning + objectivesMAP-2 + GOVERN-4Categorisation + pre-deploy testingArt. 30 + Art. 35Records + DPIABAI-01Managed programmes
ACF-08
Agentic Decision Register
Cryptographic ledger of every decision the agent has taken.
Art. 12 + 19 + 26(6)Logging + retention (6 months min.)Clause 9.1 + 7.5.3Monitoring + control of recordsMEASURE-2Performance & trustworthinessArt. 30Records of processingMEA-01Performance monitoring
ACF-09
Action & Improvement Plan
Post-deployment continual improvement plan, driven by the DDAO.
Art. 9(4) + Art. 17Continuous risk mgmt + QMSClause 10.1 + 10.2Nonconformity + continual improvementMANAGE-2Risk treatmentArt. 24 + Art. 32Responsibility + securityBAI-08Managed knowledge
ACF-10
30-day Governance Audit
Periodic internal audit demonstrating operational mastery.
Art. 17 + Art. 71QMS audit + post-market monitoringClause 9.2 + 9.3Internal audit + management reviewGOVERN-5 + MANAGE-3.1Engagement + risk treatment reviewArt. 32Security auditMEA-02 + MEA-03Internal control + compliance
ACF-11
Agentic Risk Assessment
Risk analysis specific to agents: drift, hallucination, escalation.
Art. 9Risk management systemClause 6.1.2AI-specific risksMAP-3 + MAP-4Risks & benefits + trustworthinessArt. 35DPIAAPO-12Managed risk
ACF-12
Agent Mandate
Formal, enforceable delegation of decision-making power granted to the agent.
Art. 16 + 17 + 26Provider & deployer dutiesClause 5.3Roles & authoritiesGOVERN-3 + GOVERN-6Workforce + external communicationsArt. 28 + 24Processor + controller responsibilityAPO-05Managed portfolio
ACF-13
Guided Case Study
Worked case study, step by step, for training and mock audits.
Art. 6 + 13 + Annex IIISector examples + transparencyClause 7.2 + 7.3Competence + awarenessMAP-2CategorisationArt. 22Worked profiling examplesBAI-05Organisational change
ACF-14
Teacher Guide
For instructors: lesson plans, answer keys, sample exams.
Art. 4AI literacyClause 7.2 + 7.3Competence + awarenessGOVERN-1.6 + GOVERN-6Workforce literacyArt. 39DPO training dutyAPO-07Managed human resources
ACF-15
Governance Simulation
Sandbox exercise: replay a crisis to measure governance resilience.
Art. 9 + Art. 57-63Risk mgmt + regulatory sandboxesClause 9.1 + 6.2Monitoring + planned objectivesMANAGE-3 + MEASURE-3Risk treatment evaluationArt. 32Security testingBAI-06Managed IT changes
ACF-16
Responsibility by Design
Cross-cutting principle: accountability is wired in from design onwards.
Art. 5 + 13 + 16(b)Accountability + transparencyClause 5.2AI policy & accountabilityGOVERN-1 + MANAGE-1Accountability + risk managementArt. 5(2) + 24 + 25Accountability + by designEDM-01Governance setting

Sources: EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) · ISO/IEC 42001:2023 · NIST AI RMF 1.0 (2023) · GDPR (Regulation 2016/679) · COBIT 2019.

The differentiating message

Existing frameworks govern AI. ACF governs the decisions taken by autonomous systems.

The EU AI Act tells you the AI system is regulated. ISO/IEC 42001 tells you how to manage your AI portfolio. The NIST AI RMF tells you which risks to surface. The GDPR tells you who must consent.

Once an agent acts — picks a price, grants a credit, books a flight, calls an API — none of these frameworks tells you who signed off that specific decision, against which constitution, with which kill switch, audited by whom and retainable for how long.

That layer is what ACF formalises. The 17 cards are its operational vocabulary.

Category positioning

Why agentic governance deserves its own framework.

Every adjacent domain already has a dominant framework. The emergence of autonomous agents has created a new domain — and ACF is its reference framework.

DomainDominant reference framework
CybersecurityISO/IEC 27001
PrivacyGDPR
Artificial IntelligenceISO/IEC 42001
Regulated AIEU AI Act
Agentic governanceACF®
Beyond the SaaS

ACF Compliance is more than a SaaS product.

Map your standards, get hands-on support when needed. The platform is the backbone — but real-world AI compliance also needs lawyers, DPOs and seasoned operators on call.

01

The platform

Inventory, AI Act classification, generated documentation, Ed25519-signed audit trail. Included in every plan.

02

Lawyer Console

Your law firm — or an ACF partner firm — accesses your file from the console: enforceable legal opinion, contractual structuring, negotiation, defence in case of audit. RIN-compatible model: ACF never takes any fees.

03

Dedicated expert services

Outsourced DPO, pooled Compliance Officer, bespoke DPIA/FRIA, audit support, team training. Purchased à-la-carte, never bundled.

Want to go from positioning to operations?

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