EU AI Act Compliance Guide

Everything you need to know about the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and how to prepare your organization for compliance.

What is the EU AI Act?

The EU Artificial Intelligence Act is the world's first comprehensive legal framework for AI. It establishes rules for the development, deployment, and use of AI systems within the European Union.

The Act takes a risk-based approach, categorizing AI systems into four risk levels with corresponding obligations. Organizations developing or deploying AI in the EU must comply with these requirements based on their systems' risk classification.

Key Objectives

  • Ensure AI systems in the EU are safe and respect fundamental rights
  • Promote innovation by providing legal certainty for AI development
  • Strengthen governance and enforcement of AI requirements
  • Create a single market for lawful, safe, and trustworthy AI

Risk Classification

The EU AI Act categorizes AI systems into four risk levels. Understanding where your AI systems fall is the first step toward compliance.

Unacceptable Risk

AI systems that are prohibited under the EU AI Act.

Examples:

  • Social scoring by governments
  • Real-time biometric identification in public spaces (with exceptions)
  • Manipulation of human behavior causing harm
  • Exploitation of vulnerabilities (age, disability)
Requirements: Banned - Cannot be deployed in the EU market.

High Risk

AI systems subject to strict requirements before market placement.

Examples:

  • CV screening and recruitment tools
  • Credit scoring and loan decisions
  • Critical infrastructure management
  • Biometric identification systems
  • Educational assessment systems
Requirements: Conformity assessment, risk management, human oversight, transparency.

Limited Risk

AI systems with transparency obligations.

Examples:

  • Chatbots and virtual assistants
  • Emotion recognition systems
  • Deepfake generators
  • AI-generated content
Requirements: Transparency obligations - users must be informed they are interacting with AI.

Minimal Risk

AI systems with no specific obligations (majority of AI).

Examples:

  • Spam filters
  • AI-enabled video games
  • Inventory management
  • Basic recommendation systems
Requirements: No specific requirements, but voluntary codes of conduct encouraged.

Key Requirements for High-Risk AI

High-risk AI systems face the most stringent requirements under the EU AI Act. Organizations must implement comprehensive measures across multiple domains:

Risk Management System

Establish and maintain a continuous risk management system throughout the AI system lifecycle.

Article 9

Data Governance

Ensure training, validation, and testing data meets quality criteria and is representative.

Article 10

Technical Documentation

Maintain comprehensive documentation demonstrating compliance with requirements.

Article 11

Record-Keeping

Automatically log events (logs) to enable traceability of AI system functioning.

Article 12

Transparency

Provide clear information to deployers about system capabilities and limitations.

Article 13

Human Oversight

Design systems to enable effective human oversight and intervention.

Article 14

Accuracy & Robustness

Achieve appropriate levels of accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity.

Article 15

Implementation Timeline

The EU AI Act has a phased implementation schedule. Key deadlines are approaching:

August 2024Passed

EU AI Act Enters Into Force

The regulation officially becomes law.

February 2025Passed

Prohibited AI Practices

Ban on unacceptable risk AI systems takes effect.

August 2025

General-Purpose AI Rules

Requirements for GPAI models come into effect.

August 2026

High-Risk AI Requirements

Full requirements for high-risk AI systems apply.

August 2027

Extended Transition

Rules for AI in regulated products fully applicable.

How GRIDERA Helps

GRIDERA provides a comprehensive platform to prepare your organization for EU AI Act compliance:

Automated Risk Assessment

Quickly determine the risk classification of your AI systems.

Gap Analysis

Identify compliance gaps and prioritize remediation efforts.

Documentation Templates

Pre-built templates for required technical documentation.

Audit Trail

Maintain tamper-proof logs for regulatory evidence.

Progress Tracking

Monitor your compliance journey with real-time dashboards.

Quantum-Safe Security

Future-proof your AI systems with post-quantum cryptography.

Ready to assess your EU AI Act readiness?

Run a free compliance assessment and get a detailed report of your current status.

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