USA-ADL™ is a governance and lifecycle framework for AI agents. It is not a tool, a certification, or a compliance checklist.

The framework defines how AI agents should be governed across their lifecycle, while leaving business decisions, ethical policy, and regulatory approval with the deploying organization.

USA-ADL™ combines a governance control plane with a seven-phase lifecycle execution model. The control plane defines authority, authorization, and auditability, while the lifecycle operationalizes those decisions across design, deployment, and runtime.

The framework should be read as a continuous, iterative lifecycle, not a linear checklist.

USA-ADL™ is intentionally aligned with emerging standards such as ISO/IEC 42001 and NIST CSF, without claiming formal certification or compliance.