AI Act Documents:
Chapter I
General Provisions

Article 1: Subject Matter

Comes into force 2 February 2025, according to Article 113(a)
1. The purpose of this Regulation is to improve the functioning of the internal market and promote the uptake of human-centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI), while ensuring a high level of protection of health, safety, fundamental rightsfundamental rightsIncludes human dignity, right to life, prohibition of torture, protection of personal datapersonal dataAny information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subjectsubjectfor the purpose of real-world testing, means a natural person who participates in testing in real-world conditionsArticle 3(58)data subjectsubjectfor the purpose of real-world testing, means a natural person who participates in testing in real-world conditionsArticle 3(58)An identified or identifiable natural person to whom personal data relateGDPR Art. 4(1)'). Includes name, ID number, location data, online identifiers, or factors specific to physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identityGDPR Art. 4(1), freedom of expression, non-discrimination, equality between women and men, rights of the child, right to an effective remedy and fair trialCharter of Fundamental Rights Art. 1–54 enshrined in the Charter, including democracy, the rule of law and environmental protection, against the harmful effects of AI systems in the Union and supporting innovation.
2. This Regulation lays down:
(a) harmonised rules for the placing on the marketplacing on the marketmeans the first making available of an AI systemAI systemmeans a machine-based system that is designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy and 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 environmentsArticle 3(1) or a general-purpose AI model on the Union marketArticle 3(9), the putting into serviceputting into servicemeans the supply of an AI systemAI systemmeans a machine-based system that is designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy and 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 environmentsArticle 3(1) for first use directly to the deployerdeployermeans a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body using an AI system under its authority except where the AI system is used in the course of a personal non-professional activityArticle 3(4) or for own use in the Union for its intended purposeintended purposemeans the use for which an AI systemAI systemmeans a machine-based system that is designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy and 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 environmentsArticle 3(1) is intended by the providerprovidermeans a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that develops an AI system or a general-purpose AI model or that has an AI system or a general-purpose AI model developed and places it on the market or puts the AI system into service under its own name or trademark, whether for payment or free of chargeArticle 3(3), including the specific context and conditions of use, as specified in the information supplied by the providerprovidermeans a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that develops an AI system or a general-purpose AI model or that has an AI system or a general-purpose AI model developed and places it on the market or puts the AI system into service under its own name or trademark, whether for payment or free of chargeArticle 3(3) in the instructions for use, promotional or sales materials and statements, as well as in the technical documentationArticle 3(12)Article 3(11), and the use of AI systems in the Union;
(b) prohibitions of certain AI practices;
(c) specific requirements for high-risk AI systems and obligations for operators of such systems;
(d) harmonised transparency rules for certain AI systems;
(e) harmonised rules for the placing on the marketplacing on the marketmeans the first making available of an AI systemAI systemmeans a machine-based system that is designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy and 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 environmentsArticle 3(1) or a general-purpose AI model on the Union marketArticle 3(9) of general-purpose AI models;
(f) rules on market monitoring, market surveillance, governance and enforcement;
(g) measures to support innovation, with a particular focus on small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups.