So the champagne has been drunk, the certificate is framed on the wall and the ISO project team have finally gone back to their day jobs. This is what’s known as the ‘Certification Hangover’ and in 2026, it’s the number one reason businesses fail their Year 1 surveillance audits.

In 2023 and 2024, businesses rushed to integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) and automated decision making ahead of the increasing emergence of AI related business systems and processes . In 2026,with the EU AI Act in full force and global regulators tightening their grip, moving fast without due regard to compliance has been replaced by moving fast and staying compliant.

So the champagne has been drunk, the certificate is framed on the wall and the ISO project team have finally gone back to their day jobs. This is what’s known as the ‘Certification Hangover’ and in 2026, it’s the number one reason businesses fail their Year 1 surveillance audits.