Responsible AI Platform

Glossary

All important EU AI Act and AI governance terms explained

182 terms

182 terms

A

Accuracy

Technical Concepts

The degree to which an AI system produces correct output. Article 15 of the EU AI Act requires high-risk systems to achieve an appropriate level of accuracy. Providers must document accuracy levels and communicate them to deployers.

ACM (Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets)

Supervisory Authorities

The Dutch competition and consumer authority. The ACM supervises AI in the context of consumer protection, platform regulation (DMA/DSA), and competition. The ACM's Data and Algorithms Taskforce specifically focuses on markets where algorithms play a role.

Adversarial Testing

Technical Concepts

Systematically testing AI systems for vulnerabilities by exposing them to deliberately misleading or malicious input. Required for GPAI models with systemic risk. Includes red teaming, jailbreak attempts, and robustness testing.

Affected Persons

EU AI Act

Natural persons or groups of persons who are affected by an AI system. This can include direct users, but also persons who are subject to AI decisions (such as applicants in AI screening). The AI Act specifically protects the rights of affected persons.

AFM (Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets)

Supervisory Authorities

The Dutch conduct supervisor for financial markets. The AFM supervises AI applications affecting consumers and investors, such as creditworthiness assessment and robo-advice. Works together with DNB for integrated AI supervision in the financial sector.

AI Act Penalty Regime

Compliance & Governance

The sanction system under the EU AI Act. Fines can reach up to: €35 million or 7% of global turnover for prohibited practices, €15 million or 3% for other infringements, and €7.5 million or 1% for providing incorrect information. Lower thresholds apply for SMEs and startups.

AI Agent

Technical Concepts

An AI system that can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of a user, such as answering emails, writing code, or making purchases. AI agents can independently make decisions and take actions, raising questions about human oversight and liability under the AI Act.

AI Board (European Artificial Intelligence Board)

EU AI Act

The advisory body consisting of representatives from all EU member states that advises the Commission on AI Act implementation. The AI Board promotes consistent application, coordinates between national authorities, and advises on guidelines and standardization requests.

AI for Law Enforcement

Risk Classification

AI systems used by police and judiciary, such as predictive policing, risk assessment, and evidence analysis. Strictly regulated under the AI Act: real-time biometric identification is largely prohibited, and many applications are high-risk. Additional safeguards for fundamental rights are required.

AI for Migration and Border Control

Risk Classification

AI systems used for migration management, such as traveler risk assessment, visa applications, and asylum requests. Designated as high-risk in Annex III. Systems may not discriminate based on nationality or ethnicity. Additional transparency requirements apply.

AI Governance

Compliance & Governance

The set of principles, policies, processes, and structures by which organizations ensure responsible and ethical use of AI. Includes risk management, compliance, transparency, accountability, and human oversight.

AI Governance & Compliance Expert

Professionals & Experts

A professional who combines expertise in AI governance and regulatory compliance. These experts help organizations comply with the EU AI Act, GDPR, and other AI-related laws and regulations while implementing broader governance principles. They are essential for organizations seeking to deploy AI responsibly and compliantly.

AI in Critical Infrastructure

Risk Classification

AI systems used as safety components in critical infrastructure such as energy, water, transport, and telecom. High-risk under Annex III. Requires conformity assessment by notified body in many cases. Cybersecurity requirements are particularly stringent.

AI in Education

Risk Classification

AI systems used in education, such as adaptive learning systems, automated assessment, and admission decisions. Designated as high-risk in Annex III when used for access, assignment, performance evaluation, or behavior monitoring. Emotion recognition in educational contexts is prohibited.

AI Liability Directive (AILD)

Compliance & Governance

The proposed EU directive harmonizing national liability rules for AI. Makes it easier for victims to claim damages through burden of proof alleviations. Requires disclosure of evidence by AI operators. Complements the AI Act.

AI Lifecycle

Technical Concepts

The complete cycle of an AI system from conception to decommissioning. Includes: design, data collection, training, validation, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance. The AI Act requires risk management throughout the entire lifecycle.

AI Literacy

Compliance & Governance

The ability to understand, critically evaluate, and responsibly use AI technology. Article 4 of the EU AI Act requires organizations to ensure that employees working with AI are sufficiently AI-literate. This obligation has been in effect since February 2025.

AI Pact

EU AI Act

A voluntary initiative by the European Commission where organizations can join to comply with the EU AI Act before it becomes fully effective. Participants gain access to resources, best practices, and a network of other organizations.

AI Regulatory Sandbox

Compliance & Governance

A controlled environment set up by regulators where organizations can test AI innovations with regulatory guidance. Member states must establish these sandboxes under the EU AI Act to promote innovation.

AI Safety & Security Lab (AISSL)

Supervisory Authorities

The RDI's expertise center conducting research on complex and emerging AI risks. The AISSL analyzes new threats such as the "Internet of Agents", performs technical evaluations of AI systems, and supports other supervisors with technical expertise.

AI System

EU AI Act

According to the EU AI Act: a machine-based system designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy, that may exhibit adaptiveness after deployment, and that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers from the input it receives how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments.

Algorithm

Technical Concepts

A set of instructions or rules that a computer follows to perform a task or solve a problem. In the context of AI: the mathematical models and procedures that determine how an AI system processes input into output.

Algorithm Framework

Compliance & Governance

The Dutch policy framework on Overheid.nl with guidelines for responsible algorithm use by government. The framework provides practical tools for risk assessment, transparency, and human control in algorithmic decision-making.

Algorithm Register

Technical Concepts

A public register in which government organizations transparently disclose which algorithms and AI systems they use. In the Netherlands, this is mandatory for government bodies. It contains information about purpose, operation, data, and responsibilities.

Algorithmic Impact Assessment

Assessments & Audits

A systematic evaluation of an AI system's potential societal effects. Covers analysis of risks to fundamental rights, discrimination, privacy, and transparency. Similar to FRIA but broader in scope, including economic and social impact.

ALTAI

Assessments & Audits

Assessment List for Trustworthy AI. A practical self-assessment checklist developed by the European Commission to evaluate whether AI systems meet ethical guidelines for trustworthy AI. Contains questions about transparency, diversity, fairness, and accountability.

Annex I (Prohibited Practices)

EU AI Act

The annex containing the list of prohibited AI practices (Article 5). Includes: subliminal manipulation, exploitation of vulnerabilities, social scoring by governments, individual predictive policing, untargeted scraping for facial recognition, emotion recognition at work/education, and biometric categorization on sensitive characteristics.

Annex III

Risk Classification

The annex to the EU AI Act containing the list of high-risk AI application areas. This includes 8 categories: biometrics, critical infrastructure, education, employment, essential services, law enforcement, migration, and justice.

Annex III (High-Risk Use Cases)

EU AI Act

The annex listing areas in which AI systems are classified as high-risk. Covers 8 domains: biometrics, critical infrastructure, education, employment, essential services, law enforcement, migration, and administration of justice. Specific use cases are detailed per domain.

Annex IV (Technical Documentation)

EU AI Act

The annex specifying required content of technical documentation. Includes: general description, detailed system description, monitoring procedures, risk management system, change history, applied standards, EU declaration of conformity, and contact details.

Article 10 (Data Governance)

EU AI Act

The article setting requirements for data and data governance practices for high-risk AI. Training, validation, and test datasets must be relevant, representative, error-free, and complete. Bias must be detected and addressed.

Article 11 (Technical Documentation)

EU AI Act

The article mandating technical documentation for high-risk AI systems. Documentation must be prepared before placing on the market and kept up to date. Annex IV specifies the required content.

Article 12 (Record-keeping)

EU AI Act

The article mandating automatic logging for high-risk AI systems. Logs must record events relevant for identifying risks and facilitating post-market monitoring. Logs must be retained for an appropriate period.

Article 13 (Transparency and Information Provision)

EU AI Act

The article mandating transparency for high-risk AI systems. Systems must be designed so deployers can interpret and correctly use the output. Instructions for use must contain clear information about capabilities and limitations.

Article 16 (Provider Obligations)

EU AI Act

The core article listing obligations of providers of high-risk AI systems. Includes: ensuring conformity, establishing quality management system, maintaining documentation, affixing CE marking, registering in EU database, and taking corrective measures for non-conformity.

Article 17 (Quality Management System)

EU AI Act

The article mandating a quality management system for providers of high-risk AI. The system must be documented in writing and includes: compliance strategy, design processes, test procedures, risk management, post-market monitoring, and incident reporting.

Article 26 (Deployer Obligations)

EU AI Act

The article establishing obligations of deployers of high-risk AI systems. Deployers must: use systems according to instructions, monitor input data, retain logs, inform affected persons, ensure human oversight, and report relevant incidents.

Article 4 (AI Literacy)

Compliance & Governance

The article in the EU AI Act that requires providers and deployers to ensure that personnel working with AI systems have sufficient AI literacy, taking into account their technical knowledge, experience, and context of use.

Article 50 (Transparency Obligations)

EU AI Act

The article establishing transparency obligations for certain AI systems: (1) AI interacting with persons must clearly indicate this, (2) emotion recognition and biometric categorization must be disclosed, (3) deepfakes must be labeled as AI-generated, (4) AI-generated content must be marked in machine-readable format.

Article 52 (GPAI Model Obligations)

EU AI Act

The article establishing basic obligations for providers of GPAI models. Includes: preparing technical documentation, providing information to downstream providers, establishing copyright compliance policy, and publishing a training data summary.

Article 55 (Systemic Risk GPAI)

EU AI Act

The article establishing additional obligations for GPAI models with systemic risk. Models above the 10^25 FLOP threshold or designated by the Commission must: perform model evaluations, assess and mitigate systemic risks, report serious incidents, and ensure adequate cybersecurity.

Article 57 (AI Regulatory Sandboxes)

EU AI Act

The article requiring member states to establish AI regulatory sandboxes. Sandboxes provide a controlled environment for developing and testing innovative AI under supervision. At least one sandbox per member state must be operational by August 2026.

Article 9 (Risk Management System)

EU AI Act

The article mandating a risk management system for high-risk AI systems. This system must identify, analyze, evaluate, and mitigate risks throughout the entire lifecycle. It must be iterative and regularly updated.

Authorised Representative

Roles & Actors

A natural or legal person established in the EU designated by a provider from outside the EU to fulfill obligations under the AI Act on their behalf. Required for non-EU providers placing high-risk AI or GPAI on the EU market.

B

Bias

Technical Concepts

Systematic, unwanted deviation in AI output leading to unfair or discriminatory results for certain groups. Can arise from training data, model design, or implementation. The EU AI Act requires measures to detect and mitigate bias in high-risk systems.

Biometric Identification

Technical Concepts

Identifying persons based on unique physical characteristics such as face, fingerprint, iris, or voice. Real-time biometric identification by law enforcement in public spaces is prohibited under the EU AI Act (with limited exceptions). Other forms are high-risk.

C

CE Marking

Compliance & Governance

The marking indicating that a product complies with EU regulations. High-risk AI systems must be CE marked before they can be placed on the EU market. The marking is applied after successful conformity assessment.

Computer Vision

Technical Concepts

The field of AI enabling computers to interpret and understand visual information. Includes image recognition, object detection, facial recognition, and video analysis. Many computer vision applications such as biometric identification are high-risk or prohibited.

Conformity Assessment

Compliance & Governance

The procedure by which it is demonstrated that a high-risk AI system meets the requirements of the EU AI Act. Depending on the type of system, this can be performed by the provider themselves or by a notified body.

CRA (Cyber Resilience Act)

Technical Concepts

The European regulation for cybersecurity of products with digital elements. The CRA establishes horizontal cybersecurity requirements for hardware and software, including AI components. AI systems must comply with both CRA (for cybersecurity) and AI Act (for AI-specific risks).

Credit Scoring AI

Risk Classification

AI systems that assess the creditworthiness of natural persons or establish a credit score. Explicitly designated as high-risk in Annex III (point 5b) of the EU AI Act due to the impact on access to financial services and the risk of discrimination.

Cybersecurity (AI context)

Technical Concepts

The protection of AI systems against cyberattacks and unauthorized access. Article 15 of the EU AI Act requires high-risk AI systems to provide an appropriate level of cybersecurity. This includes protection against adversarial attacks, data poisoning, and model extraction.

D

Data Act

Privacy & Ethics

The European regulation for fair access to and use of data. The Data Act regulates who has access to data generated by connected products and services. Relevant for AI systems using data from IoT devices and other sources.

Data Governance (AI Act)

Compliance & Governance

The set of processes for managing training, validation, and test data for high-risk AI systems (Article 10). Includes choices about data collection, data analysis, bias detection, gap identification, and privacy measures. Must be documented in the technical documentation.

Data Governance Act (DGA)

Privacy & Ethics

The European regulation establishing a framework for the reuse of public sector data, data intermediaries, and data altruism. The DGA facilitates secure data sharing, which is relevant for training AI models with diverse datasets.

Data Quality

Compliance & Governance

The suitability of datasets for the intended purpose of an AI system. The EU AI Act requires training, validation, and test data for high-risk systems to meet quality criteria such as relevance, representativeness, completeness, and error-freeness (Article 10).

Deep Learning

Technical Concepts

A subset of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks with multiple layers. Deep learning is the foundation for many modern AI applications such as image recognition, speech processing, and large language models (LLMs). Requires large amounts of data and computing power.

Deployer

Roles & Actors

A natural or legal person who uses an AI system under their own responsibility, other than for personal, non-professional use. Deployers of high-risk AI must ensure correct use, human oversight, and in some cases perform an FRIA.

Digital Omnibus

EU AI Act

An EU amendment package to simplify digital legislation. For the AI Act, it concerns proposal COM(2025)836, on which the Council and European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on 7 May 2026. Formal adoption and publication still need to follow.

Distributor

Roles & Actors

Natural or legal person in the supply chain who makes an AI system available on the EU market, other than the provider or importer. Distributors must verify that the system has a CE marking.

DMA (Digital Markets Act)

Compliance & Governance

The European regulation for fair and open digital markets, targeting "gatekeepers" (large platforms). The DMA regulates how large tech companies offer their platform services and may affect the deployment of AI systems by these platforms.

DNB (Dutch Central Bank)

Supervisory Authorities

The central bank and financial supervisor of the Netherlands. DNB supervises AI use in the financial sector, particularly for high-risk applications such as credit scoring and insurance assessment. DNB integrates AI Act compliance into existing prudential supervision.

DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act)

Technical Concepts

The European regulation for digital operational resilience in the financial sector. DORA sets requirements for ICT risk management, incident reporting, and testing for financial institutions. AI systems in the financial sector must comply with both DORA and the AI Act.

Downstream Provider

Roles & Actors

A provider that builds an AI system on top of a GPAI model from another party (upstream provider). Downstream providers have their own compliance obligations but may need certain information from the upstream provider to fulfill them.

DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment)

Assessments & Audits

An assessment required under the GDPR when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals. For AI systems, often required alongside the FRIA.

DSA (Digital Services Act)

Compliance & Governance

The European regulation for digital services that sets rules for online platforms and search engines. The DSA requires transparency about recommendation algorithms and prohibits manipulative patterns. Relevant for AI systems that recommend or moderate content.

Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP)

Supervisory Authorities

The Dutch privacy regulator that together with the RDI is responsible for AI supervision. The DPA oversees GDPR compliance and plays a key role in assessing AI systems that process personal data. The Directorate for Algorithm Coordination specifically coordinates AI Act supervision.

E

Emotion Recognition

Risk Classification

AI systems that attempt to infer human emotions from biometric data such as facial expressions, voice, or body posture. Under the EU AI Act, emotion recognition in the workplace and in education is prohibited since February 2025, with exceptions for medical or safety reasons.

Enforcement

Compliance & Governance

Supervision and enforcement of compliance with the EU AI Act by national market surveillance authorities. Fines can reach up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for prohibited practices, and €15 million or 3% for other violations.

Enforcement

Compliance & Governance

The set of activities through which supervisors enforce compliance with the AI Act. Includes: market surveillance, audits, inspections, corrective measures, warnings, recalls, and fines. National market surveillance authorities are responsible for enforcement.

EU AI Act

EU AI Act

The world's first comprehensive AI legislation, adopted by the European Union. The law regulates the development and use of artificial intelligence within the EU based on a risk-based approach. The EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024 with phased implementation until 2027.

EU AI Act Expert

Professionals & Experts

A professional with in-depth knowledge of the European AI Regulation (EU AI Act) who advises organizations on compliance, risk classification, and implementation. EU AI Act experts help companies navigate complex regulations and set up AI governance frameworks. Looking for an EU AI Act expert? Connect via LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zahed-ashkara-51a0b2198

EU Database for High-Risk AI

EU AI Act

The public database managed by the European Commission where high-risk AI systems and GPAI models must be registered (Article 71). The database contains information about the system, provider, and risk profile and is accessible to the public.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Compliance & Governance

A formal statement by the provider that a high-risk AI system complies with AI Act requirements. Must be drawn up for each high-risk system, retained for 10 years, and provided to authorities upon request. Content is specified in Annex V.

Explainability

Technical Concepts

The degree to which the operation and decisions of an AI system can be explained to people. High-risk AI systems must be sufficiently transparent so that users can interpret and correctly use the output.

F

Fine-tuning

Technical Concepts

The process of further training a pre-trained AI model on specific data for a particular task or domain. Organizations that fine-tune foundation models may under certain circumstances be classified as providers under the EU AI Act, with associated obligations.

FLOP Threshold (10^25)

Technical Concepts

The computational threshold above which a GPAI model is automatically classified as having systemic risk. FLOP (Floating Point Operations) measures the computing capacity used for training. Models above 10^25 FLOP receive additional obligations such as red teaming and systemic risk assessment.

Foundation Model

Technical Concepts

A large AI model trained on broad data that can be adapted for diverse downstream tasks. Examples include GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini. Under the EU AI Act, foundation models placed on the market fall under GPAI regulation (Chapter V).

FRIA (Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment)

Assessments & Audits

An assessment that deployers of high-risk AI must perform to determine the impact on fundamental rights before the system is put into use. Required for government bodies and essential services.

G

GDPR / AVG

Privacy & Ethics

General Data Protection Regulation. The European privacy legislation that regulates the processing of personal data. The GDPR and EU AI Act complement each other: AI systems that process personal data must comply with both.

GPAI (General Purpose AI)

EU AI Act

General Purpose AI models that can perform a wide range of tasks, such as ChatGPT. GPAI falls under specific transparency obligations in the EU AI Act. GPAI with systemic risk (such as very large language models) have additional obligations.

H

Hallucination

Technical Concepts

Erroneous output from AI systems (especially LLMs) where the model generates convincing-sounding but factually incorrect information. An important risk with generative AI that users must be informed about as part of AI literacy.

Read more:ai literacy

High-Risk AI System

Risk Classification

AI systems that pose a significant risk to health, safety, or fundamental rights of persons. These are listed in Annex III of the AI Act and include biometric identification, critical infrastructure, education, employment, law enforcement, and credit assessment. High-risk systems must comply with strict requirements for risk management, data quality, transparency, and human oversight.

HR AI / AI in Recruitment

Risk Classification

AI systems used for HR purposes such as CV screening, candidate selection, performance evaluation, and dismissal decisions. Explicitly designated as high-risk in Annex III. Emotion recognition in job interviews is prohibited. Employers must inform employees about AI use.

Human Oversight

Compliance & Governance

The requirement that high-risk AI systems are designed so that they can be effectively overseen by natural persons during their use. This must prevent AI systems from autonomously causing harm. Includes the ability to intervene and override.

Human-on-the-loop

Technical Concepts

A design pattern where a human can monitor the operation of an AI system and intervene if necessary, but is not involved in every individual decision. Less intensive than human-in-the-loop. Acceptable for some high-risk systems depending on context.

Human-over-the-loop

Roles & Actors

A design pattern where a human sets boundaries and constraints before an AI system operates autonomously, without real-time intervention. The human defines operational parameters, rules, and exceptions before deployment. This is a less intensive form of human oversight than human-in-the-loop or human-on-the-loop.

I

IAMA (Human Rights and Algorithms Impact Assessment)

Assessments & Audits

A Dutch instrument developed by the government to assess the impact of algorithms on human rights. The IAMA helps organizations identify and mitigate risks. An AI Act update of the IAMA is expected in 2026.

Importer

Roles & Actors

Natural or legal person established in the EU who places an AI system on the EU market from a provider outside the EU. Importers must verify that the system complies with the EU AI Act.

Instructions for Use

Compliance & Governance

The information that providers of high-risk AI systems must provide to deployers (Article 13). Includes intended purpose, known limitations, expected performance, instructions for human oversight, and maintenance requirements. Must be understandable for the deployer.

Internet of Agents

Technical Concepts

An emerging paradigm where autonomous AI agents collaborate via the internet, delegate tasks, and dynamically organize without human intervention. This creates new risks around misinformation, system overload, and lack of standardized communication protocols between agents.

J

Jailbreaking (AI)

Technical Concepts

Techniques to bypass the safety measures and restrictions of AI models, causing the model to generate content that would normally be blocked. GPAI providers with systemic risk must test their models for jailbreaking as part of adversarial testing.

L

LLM (Large Language Model)

Technical Concepts

Large language models like GPT-4, Claude, or Gemini. AI systems trained on enormous amounts of text that can generate human-like text. Often fall under GPAI regulations in the EU AI Act.

M

Machine Learning (ML)

Technical Concepts

A branch of artificial intelligence where systems learn from data to perform tasks without being explicitly programmed. ML models identify patterns in training data and apply these to new situations. Most AI systems under the EU AI Act are based on machine learning techniques.

Market Surveillance Authority

Roles & Actors

The national authority responsible for supervising compliance with the EU AI Act. In the Netherlands, this is likely the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) in combination with sector-specific supervisors.

Medical AI / AI in Healthcare

Risk Classification

AI systems used in healthcare, such as diagnostic support, treatment planning, and medical image analysis. Much medical AI falls under both the AI Act and the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). Systems that diagnose or recommend treatments are typically high-risk.

Minimal Risk AI

Risk Classification

AI systems that do not fall under specific EU AI Act obligations, such as AI in video games, spam filters, or search algorithms. The vast majority of AI systems fall into this category. General laws like GDPR still apply.

Model Card

Technical Concepts

A standardized document describing key information about an AI model: intended use, performance metrics, limitations, training data, and ethical considerations. Model cards increase transparency and help deployers assess whether a model is suitable for their use case.

Model Extraction

Technical Concepts

A type of attack where an attacker attempts to create a copy of an AI model by systematically analyzing its output. The AI Act requires high-risk systems to be protected against such attacks. Relevant for intellectual property and security risks.

N

Neural Network

Technical Concepts

A computing system inspired by the human brain, consisting of layers of interconnected nodes (neurons). Neural networks form the basis of deep learning and many modern AI systems. They learn patterns from data by adjusting weights through training.

New Legislative Framework (NLF)

Compliance & Governance

The European framework for product regulation on which the EU AI Act is based. The NLF includes principles such as CE marking, conformity assessment, market surveillance, and harmonized standards. This framework is also used for machinery directives, medical devices, and other product categories.

NIS-2 (Network and Information Security Directive)

Technical Concepts

The European directive for cybersecurity of network and information systems. NIS-2 requires essential and important entities to implement appropriate security measures. AI systems falling under NIS-2 must comply with both NIS-2 cybersecurity requirements and AI Act requirements where applicable.

NLP (Natural Language Processing)

Technical Concepts

The field of AI concerned with interaction between computers and human language. Includes text understanding, translation, sentiment analysis, and text generation. LLMs are advanced NLP systems. Relevant for chatbots, virtual assistants, and translation services.

See also:llmgpai
Read more:ai literacy

O

Operator

Roles & Actors

An umbrella term in the AI Act for providers, deployers, authorized representatives, importers, and distributors. Operators are the parties in the AI value chain that have obligations under the AI Act, depending on their specific role.

Overfitting

Technical Concepts

A phenomenon where an AI model becomes too specifically trained on training data and therefore performs poorly on new, unseen data. Overfitting can lead to unreliable results in practice. Good data governance and validation procedures help prevent overfitting.

P

Post-remote Biometric Identification

Risk Classification

Remote biometric identification of persons that takes place after the fact (not real-time). Classified as high-risk under the AI Act, not prohibited. Requires conformity assessment and additional safeguards. Distinction from real-time is crucial for legal classification.

Privacy by Design

Privacy & Ethics

A principle where privacy and data protection are built into the design of AI systems from the start, not as an afterthought. Required under both the GDPR and the EU AI Act for high-risk systems.

Read more:ai privacy

Product Liability (AI)

Compliance & Governance

Legal liability for damage caused by AI products. The revised Product Liability Directive (PLD) brings AI systems under the product liability regime. Providers can be liable for defective AI systems, even if the defect arises during deployment.

Read more:eu ai act

Prohibited AI Practices

Risk Classification

AI applications completely banned by the EU AI Act due to unacceptable risk. This includes: social scoring by governments, manipulative AI, exploitation of vulnerable groups, real-time biometric identification by police in public spaces (with exceptions), and emotion recognition in workplaces and education.

Prompt Engineering

Technical Concepts

The practice of designing and optimizing textual instructions (prompts) to generative AI models to obtain desired output. While prompt engineering itself is not regulated, the deployment of prompted AI systems for certain purposes may fall under the AI Act.

Provider

Roles & Actors

The natural or legal person who develops or has developed an AI system and places it on the market or puts it into service under their own name. Providers of high-risk AI have the heaviest compliance obligations, including CE marking, conformity assessment, and technical documentation.

R

RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation)

Technical Concepts

An AI architecture that combines generative models with a knowledge base or database. The system first retrieves relevant information and uses this as context for generating answers. RAG can reduce hallucinations and makes AI output verifiable.

Real-time Biometric Identification

Risk Classification

Remote biometric identification of persons in real-time in public spaces. Largely prohibited under the AI Act for law enforcement, with limited exceptions for counter-terrorism, missing persons, and serious crimes (subject to judicial approval).

Real-World Testing

Supervisory Authorities

Testing AI systems in real conditions outside lab environments, as described in Article 60 of the EU AI Act. Real-world testing is permitted under strict conditions, including approval by the market surveillance authority, informed consent of participants, and a testing plan.

Reasonably Foreseeable Misuse

EU AI Act

Use of an AI system in a manner inconsistent with the intended purpose, but which a provider can reasonably foresee based on human behavior or interaction with other systems. Providers must also test high-risk systems for foreseeable misuse.

Recall

Compliance & Governance

A corrective measure requiring an AI system already placed on the market to be retrieved. Can be imposed by market surveillance authorities for serious non-conformity or unacceptable risks. Providers must inform users and remove the system from the market.

Responsible AI

Privacy & Ethics

The practice of developing and using AI systems in an ethical, transparent, and fair manner aligned with human values. Includes principles such as fairness, accountability, transparency, and privacy. The EU AI Act codifies responsible AI principles into legislation.

Right to Complaint

Compliance & Governance

The right of natural and legal persons to lodge complaints about AI systems with the national market surveillance authority. Complaints may concern non-conformity with the AI Act. Supervisors must handle complaints and take appropriate measures.

Risk Management System

Compliance & Governance

A continuous iterative process throughout the entire lifecycle of a high-risk AI system, consisting of identification, analysis, estimation, evaluation, and treatment of risks. Required under Article 9 of the EU AI Act.

S

Social Scoring

Privacy & Ethics

The use of AI to assign individuals a score based on their behavior, characteristics, or social connections. Social scoring by governments is explicitly prohibited under the EU AI Act due to the unacceptable risk to fundamental rights.

Systemic Risk

Risk Classification

Risk that a GPAI model may have negative effects on public health, safety, public security, fundamental rights, or society as a whole. GPAI models with systemic risk (determined by computing power >10^25 FLOPS) have additional obligations such as adversarial testing and incident reporting.

T

Technical Documentation

Compliance & Governance

The detailed description of a high-risk AI system that providers must prepare and maintain (Article 11). Includes system description, design specifications, risk management, test results, and instructions. Must remain available for 10 years after placing on the market.

Test Data

Technical Concepts

A dataset used to evaluate the final performance of a trained AI model. Test data is only used after training and validation to obtain an unbiased performance measurement. The AI Act requires test data to be representative and error-free.

Training Data

Technical Concepts

The dataset used to train an AI model. The quality, representativeness, and lawful acquisition of training data is crucial for AI system quality. Article 10 of the EU AI Act sets data governance requirements for high-risk systems. GPAI providers must publish a training data summary.

Training Data Summary

Compliance & Governance

A publicly available summary of the data used to train a GPAI model. Required under Article 52 of the AI Act. Must be sufficiently detailed to inform copyright holders. The AI Office is developing a template for these summaries.

Transparency Obligation

Compliance & Governance

The requirement to inform users about interaction with AI systems. Applies to chatbots, deepfakes, and AI-generated content. High-risk AI must also provide instructions for use and information about capabilities and limitations.

Trustworthy AI

Privacy & Ethics

AI that is (1) lawful, (2) ethical, and (3) robust. Defined by the EU High-Level Expert Group on AI. Forms the basis for the ethical guidelines enshrined in the EU AI Act.

V

Validation Data

Technical Concepts

A dataset used to tune and optimize an AI model during development. Validation data is separate from training and test data to prevent overfitting. The AI Act requires validation data for high-risk systems to meet quality criteria.

W

Withdrawal

Compliance & Governance

Removing an AI system from the market that is still in the supply chain but has not yet been delivered to end users. Differs from recall in that the system has not reached users. Can be voluntary by the provider or mandatory by supervisors.