AI Act Documents:

Article 11: Technical Documentation

Comes into force 2 December 2027 (high-risk under Annex III) / 2 August 2028 (high-risk under Annex I), according to Article 113(c)
1. The technical documentation of a high-risk 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) shall be drawn up before that system is placed on the market or put into service and shall be kept up-to date.
That technical documentation shall be drawn up in such a way as to demonstrate that the high-risk 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) complies with the requirements set out in this Section and to provide national competent authorities and notified bodies with the necessary information in a clear and comprehensive form to assess the compliance of the 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) with those requirements. It shall contain, at a minimum, the elements set out in Annex IV. SMEs, including start-ups, and SMCs, may provide the elements of the technical documentation specified in Annex IV in a simplified manner. To that end, the Commission shall establish a simplified technical documentation form targeted at the needs of SMEs, including start-ups, and SMCs. Where an SME, including a start-up, or an SMC, opts to provide the information required in Annex IV in a simplified manner, it shall use the form referred to in this paragraph. Notified bodies shall accept the form for the purposes of the conformity assessmentconformity assessmentmeans the process of demonstrating whether the requirements set out in Chapter III, Section 2 relating to a high-risk 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) have been fulfilledArticle 3(20).
2. Where a high-risk 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) related to a product covered by the Union harmonisation legislation listed in Section A of Annex I is placed on the market or put into service, a single set of technical documentation shall be drawn up containing all the information set out in paragraph 1, as well as the information required under those legal acts.
3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 97 in order to amend Annex IV, where necessary, to ensure that, in light of technical progress, the technical documentation provides all the information necessary to assess the compliance of the system with the requirements set out in this Section.