In late January 2026, Genvision hosted a roundtable discussion with 13 leaders from major Carbon Standards, Registries, and Accreditation Bodies. Held under Chatham House Rules and supported by the International Association of Validation and Verification Bodies (IAVVB), we sat down to discuss the real-world future of AI in carbon markets.
Here is a snapshot of our biggest takeaways:
The "pre-audit" opportunity
AI's biggest immediate value might actually be before the audit even starts. Standards suggested that developers can use AI to pre-screen their own documents and catch obvious errors before hitting "submit," creating a "red flag" system that gives auditors cleaner data. This lets VVBs focus on high-level judgment rather than basic admin cleanup. At the same time, Standards noted that AI can vastly improve transparency by organising the "myriad of files" and messy data rooms that auditors are forced to review.
Transparency is non-negotiable
While everyone wants more efficiency, auditors and standards share a firm red line: no "black boxes". Ultimate decision-making power and liability must stay with the human VVB. Because of this, Standards said they prefer "transparent retrieval" tools that link directly back to specific, auditable evidence.
Updating the rulebook
AI adoption needs to play by the rules, specifically ISO 14065 and ISO 14064-3. Accreditation bodies noted that while the core job of an auditor isn't changing, the way we evaluate projects must evolve. In the future, expect ISO updates to require periodic reviews of AI systems to ensure data quality, rule compliance, and source legitimacy.
A practical path forward
How do we actually implement this? By starting small. Instead of trying to automate an entire audit, the industry should pilot AI for specific measurable tasks. Alongside these pilots, Standards and Accreditation bodies need to draft "AI Disclosure" frameworks. These rules would require VVBs to disclose exactly how they used AI, confirming a human reviewed the final output and retaining that final judgment in regulation.
What's next?
AI offers a critical solution to the industry's capacity crunch and it must be treated as an assistant that augments human capacity, not a replacement for expert judgment. At Genvision, we are committed to building the transparent, traceable tools the market demands. The conversation has started. Now it's time to build the frameworks that let us scale with confidence.
