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THE INSTITUTE OF AI | IOAIUK AI CHARTERAI FOR ALL
The Institute of AI
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— The senior grade —

Fellow of the Institute of AI,
the senior grade

The most senior individual Accreditation at the UK's professional body for AI. It recognises leadership and a genuine contribution to the practice, and carries the post-nominal FIoAI.

Apply for AccreditationRead the framework
— What Fellow recognises —

A grade earned for standing,
not seniority alone

Fellow is not a long-service award. It marks the practitioners who define how AI is done well, and who others measure themselves against.

Judgement at scale

Fellow recognises the practitioners other practitioners defer to: people who set direction on AI where the stakes, and the ambiguity, are highest.

Breadth across the lifecycle

Not one tool or one model, but the whole span from framing and governance to delivery, evaluation and responsible operation in production.

Contribution to the field

Fellows shape how others practise, through mentoring, standards, published work or leadership that raises the bar beyond their own organisation.

— The credential —

A mark others can actually verify

Fellow gives you the post-nominal FIoAI, a public verification page anyone can check, and a badge to display on your profile, your CV and your signature. It is a signal that stands up to scrutiny, not a certificate that gathers dust.

  • Use FIoAI after your name, the post-nominal for the grade.
  • A live public verification page confirms your grade to employers and clients.
  • A display badge for LinkedIn, your CV and email signatures.
Sample
IoAI
Verified Accreditation

Your name

Fellow

Level
Fellow
Active since
2026
Expires
2029
Credential ID
a1b2c3d4-5e6f-7890-abcd-ef1234567890
© 2026 The Institute of AI (IoAI)

An example of the accredited Fellow credential.

— The path to Fellow —

The top of a four-level progression

Accreditation runs Student, Associate, Professional, Fellow. Apply at the level your evidence supports, including directly for Fellow. Holders can apply again at their current level or above.

  1. Student

    SIoAI

    Learning the discipline

    £49.99 one-off

  2. Associate

    AIoAI

    Practising under guidance

    £99.99 one-off

  3. Professional

    PIoAI

    Practising independently

    £199.99 one-off

  4. Fellow

    FIoAI

    Leading the practice

    £299.99 one-off
— The Fellow assessment —

What the senior grade
expects of you

Fellow is assessed against the Institute of AI competency framework, the same published standard used across every grade, applied at its most demanding.

See the framework
  • Leadership

    Evidence that you set the standard for AI work across teams or an organisation, and are accountable for the outcomes.

  • Breadth

    Demonstrated competence across the full framework, not depth in a single corner, assessed against the published criteria.

  • Responsibility

    A track record of governing AI well: risk, ethics and impact treated as first-order concerns, not afterthoughts.

  • Contribution

    A meaningful contribution to the wider field of AI practice, beyond the delivery of your own projects.

— Keeping it meaningful —

A credential that stays current

Fellow carries the highest continuing professional development expectation at IoAI. You log a target of 25 hours a year, and the framework recognises the real work of a senior practitioner: mentoring, writing, standards and leadership all count.

See CPD requirementsCPD for AI professionals
CPD target
25h

Logged each year at Fellow level.

Assessment
£29.99

A one-off fee to sit the assessment.

— Common questions —

Fellow, in brief

Can I apply for Fellow directly?+
Yes. Apply directly for Fellow if your evidence meets its criteria. You do not need to hold Professional Accreditation first, and existing Fellows can reapply at the same level.
What does Fellow cost?+
Your first professional assessment costs £29.99. On approval, the one-off Fellow Accreditation fee is £299.99, valid for 3 years. You can apply again at any time with no further assessment fee; the Accreditation fee is due on each successful application.
How much CPD does Fellow require?+
Fellows carry the highest continuing professional development expectation: a target of 25 hours a year, logged and evidenced through your membership so the credential stays meaningful.
What stands behind the Fellow grade?+
The same published competency framework used at every grade, applied at its most demanding, plus a 25-hour annual CPD target and a public verification page. The Institute of AI awards it independently of any tool vendor, so Fellow recognises contribution to the practice rather than a commercial relationship.
— Reach the senior grade —

Progress towards Fellow

Apply directly for Fellow if your evidence meets the criteria, or apply again at your current level. Find out where your practice fits before you commit to anything.

Apply for AccreditationFind your level, free
— Related pages
— Standard

Chartered AI engineer

What chartered status means for AI engineers in the UK, and the professional credential they can hold today.

— Levels

AI professional Accreditation

The full four-level ladder explained, from Student through to Fellow, and who each grade is for.

— Upkeep

CPD for AI professionals

How continuing professional development keeps your Accreditation current, with targets by level.