Understanding the EU AI Act: A Complete Guide

The EU AI Act represents a landmark piece of legislation that will fundamentally change how artificial intelligence systems are developed, deployed, and used across Europe and beyond. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about this groundbreaking regulation.

What is the EU AI Act?

The EU AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence. Adopted by the European Parliament, it establishes a harmonized set of rules for the development, deployment, and use of AI systems within the European Union.

The regulation takes a risk-based approach, meaning that AI systems are regulated according to the level of risk they pose to individuals and society.

Risk Classification

The EU AI Act categorizes AI systems into four risk levels:

1. Unacceptable Risk

These AI systems are outright banned. They include:

Social scoring systems by public authorities
Real-time biometric identification in public spaces (with limited exceptions)
AI systems that exploit vulnerabilities of specific groups
Subliminal manipulation techniques

2. High Risk

These systems face strict requirements before they can be placed on the market. Examples include:

AI used in critical infrastructure (transportation, energy, water)
Educational and vocational training systems
Employment-related AI (recruitment, performance evaluation)
Access to essential services (credit scoring, emergency services)
Law enforcement applications
Migration and border control systems

3. Limited Risk

These systems have specific transparency obligations:

Chatbots and conversational AI
Emotion recognition systems
Biometric categorization systems
AI-generated content (deepfakes)

4. Minimal Risk

The vast majority of AI systems fall into this category and can be used freely, though voluntary codes of conduct are encouraged.

Key Requirements for High-Risk Systems

If your AI system is classified as high-risk, you’ll need to comply with several requirements:

Risk Management System

You must establish, implement, and maintain a risk management system throughout the entire lifecycle of the AI system.

Data Governance

Training, validation, and testing data must be relevant, representative, and free of errors. You’ll need to implement appropriate data governance practices.

Technical Documentation

Detailed technical documentation must be drawn up before the system is placed on the market, demonstrating compliance with all requirements.

Record Keeping

High-risk AI systems must have logging capabilities that enable the recording of events relevant to identifying risks and post-market monitoring.

Transparency

Users must be provided with clear information about the AI system’s capabilities, limitations, and intended purpose.

Human Oversight

High-risk AI systems must be designed to allow for effective human oversight during use.

Accuracy and Robustness

Systems must achieve appropriate levels of accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity.

Implementation Timeline

The EU AI Act follows a phased implementation approach:

Milestone	Timeline
Entry into force	20 days after publication
Prohibition of banned AI	6 months
Governance rules	12 months
High-risk obligations	24 months
High-risk systems in Annex I	36 months

Penalties for Non-Compliance

The EU AI Act includes significant penalties for non-compliance:

Prohibited AI practices: Up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover
Other violations: Up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover
Incorrect information: Up to €7.5 million or 1% of global annual turnover

How Metrica.uno Can Help

Navigating the EU AI Act’s requirements can be complex. Metrica.uno simplifies compliance by:

Automated risk classification of your AI systems
Gap analysis identifying areas needing attention
Compliance tracking across the implementation timeline
Documentation support for technical requirements

Conclusion

The EU AI Act represents a significant shift in how AI is regulated globally. Organizations deploying AI systems, whether in the EU or serving EU citizens, need to understand these requirements and begin preparing for compliance.

Start your compliance journey today with Metrica.uno’s free assessment tool.