The EU AI Act outlines distinct responsibilities for various stakeholders involved in the AI lifecycle. Each group has specific compliance obligations, and organizations may fall into multiple categories. It is crucial to understand these definitions to determine if your organization needs to adhere to the AI Act’s requirements.
Developers and Providers
These organizations design, supply, or market AI systems or models under their branding.
Responsibilities: They are responsible for ensuring that their AI systems meet the EU AI Act’s regulations, including those related to safety, transparency, and proper documentation.
Users
Entities that utilize AI systems within the EU for various purposes fall into this category.
Responsibilities: They must comply with transparency requirements, manage associated risks, and ensure that users are properly informed about their interactions with AI systems.
Importers
These are EU-based organizations that bring AI systems from outside the EU into the European market.
Responsibilities: They are tasked with ensuring that imported AI systems comply with EU regulations, verifying that providers meet their obligations, maintaining conformity documentation, and ensuring accurate labeling and instructions.
Distributors
Entities within the supply chain that make AI systems available in the EU market, excluding providers and importers, are classified as distributors.
Responsibilities: They are responsible for confirming that AI systems meet EU regulatory standards, keeping necessary documentation, maintaining records of AI systems, and reporting any non-compliance or risks to national authorities.
Additional Stakeholders
The EU AI Act also addresses:
- Third-Party Evaluators: Organizations that perform conformity assessments on AI systems.
- Non-EU Providers: Entities based outside the EU whose AI systems are used within the EU or affect individuals in the EU.
Understanding and fulfilling these responsibilities is essential for compliance with the EU AI Act, particularly as it relates to the risk level associated with different AI systems.
After determining whether you are a developer, provider, user, importer, distributor, third-party evaluator, or non-EU provider, you need to assess the risk level of your AI model. To do this, you can use our AI Risk Self-Assessment to identify the type of your AI system and, based on this classification, determine your obligations under the AI Act.
