Article 26: Obligations of Deployers of High-Risk AI Systems
Article 26
Obligations of Deployers of High-Risk AI Systems
Updated on 31 July 2024 based on the version published in the Official Journal of the EU dated 12 July 2024 and entered into force on 1 August 2024.
1. Deployers of high-risk AI systems shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure they use such systems in accordance with the instructions for use accompanying the systems, pursuant to paragraphs 3 and 6.
2. Deployers shall assign human oversight to natural persons who have the necessary competence, training and authority, as well as the necessary support.
3. The obligations set out in paragraphs 1 and 2, are without prejudice to other deployer obligations under Union or national law and to the deployer’s freedom to organise its own resources and activities for the purpose of implementing the human oversight measures indicated by the provider.
4. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1 and 2, to the extent the deployer exercises control over the input data, that deployer shall ensure that input data is relevant and sufficiently representative in view of the intended purpose of the high-risk AI system.
5. Deployers shall monitor the operation of the high-risk AI system on the basis of the instructions for use and, where relevant, inform providers in accordance with Article 72. Where deployers have reason to consider that the use of the high-risk AI system in accordance with the instructions may result in that AI system presenting a risk within the meaning of Article 79(1), they shall, without undue delay, inform the provider or distributor and the relevant market surveillance authority, and shall suspend the use of that system. Where deployers have identified a serious incident, they shall also immediately inform first the provider, and then the importer or distributor and the relevant market surveillance authorities of that incident. If the deployer is not able to reach the provider, Article 73 shall apply mutatis mutandis. This obligation shall not cover sensitive operational data of deployers of AI systems which are law enforcement authorities.
For deployers that are financial institutions subject to requirements regarding their internal governance, arrangements or processes under Union financial services law, the monitoring obligation set out in the first subparagraph shall be deemed to be fulfilled by complying with the rules on internal governance arrangements, processes and mechanisms pursuant to the relevant financial service law.
6. Deployers of high-risk AI systems shall keep the logs automatically generated by that high-risk AI system to the extent such logs are under their control, for a period appropriate to the intended purpose of the high-risk AI system, of at least six months, unless provided otherwise in applicable Union or national law, in particular in Union law on the protection of personal data.
Deployers that are financial institutions subject to requirements regarding their internal governance, arrangements or processes under Union financial services law shall maintain the logs as part of the documentation kept pursuant to the relevant Union financial service law.
7. Before putting into service or using a high-risk AI system at the workplace, deployers who are employers shall inform workers’ representatives and the affected workers that they will be subject to the use of the high-risk AI system. This information shall be provided, where applicable, in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down in Union and national law and practice on information of workers and their representatives.
8. Deployers of high-risk AI systems that are public authorities, or Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies shall comply with the registration obligations referred to in Article 49. When such deployers find that the high-risk AI system that they envisage using has not been registered in the EU database referred to in Article 71, they shall not use that system and shall inform the provider or the distributor.
9. Where applicable, deployers of high-risk AI systems shall use the information provided under Article 13 of this Regulation to comply with their obligation to carry out a data protection impact assessment under Article 35 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or Article 27 of Directive (EU) 2016/680.
10. Without prejudice to Directive (EU) 2016/680, in the framework of an investigation for the targeted search of a person suspected or convicted of having committed a criminal offence, the deployer of a high-risk AI system for post-remote biometric identification shall request an authorisation, ex ante, or without undue delay and no later than 48 hours, by a judicial authority or an administrative authority whose decision is binding and subject to judicial review, for the use of that system, except when it is used for the initial identification of a potential suspect based on objective and verifiable facts directly linked to the offence. Each use shall be limited to what is strictly necessary for the investigation of a specific criminal offence.
If the authorisation requested pursuant to the first subparagraph is rejected, the use of the post-remote biometric identification system linked to that requested authorisation shall be stopped with immediate effect and the personal data linked to the use of the high-risk AI system for which the authorisation was requested shall be deleted.
In no case shall such high-risk AI system for post-remote biometric identification be used for law enforcement purposes in an untargeted way, without any link to a criminal offence, a criminal proceeding, a genuine and present or genuine and foreseeable threat of a criminal offence, or the search for a specific missing person. It shall be ensured that no decision that produces an adverse legal effect on a person may be taken by the law enforcement authorities based solely on the output of such post-remote biometric identification systems.
This paragraph is without prejudice to Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 10 of Directive (EU) 2016/680 for the processing of biometric data.
Regardless of the purpose or deployer, each use of such high-risk AI systems shall be documented in the relevant police file and shall be made available to the relevant market surveillance authority and the national data protection authority upon request, excluding the disclosure of sensitive operational data related to law enforcement. This subparagraph shall be without prejudice to the powers conferred by Directive (EU) 2016/680 on supervisory authorities.
Deployers shall submit annual reports to the relevant market surveillance and national data protection authorities on their use of post-remote biometric identification systems, excluding the disclosure of sensitive operational data related to law enforcement. The reports may be aggregated to cover more than one deployment.
Member States may introduce, in accordance with Union law, more restrictive laws on the use of post-remote biometric identification systems.
11. Without prejudice to Article 50 of this Regulation, deployers of high-risk AI systems referred to in Annex III that make decisions or assist in making decisions related to natural persons shall inform the natural persons that they are subject to the use of the high-risk AI system. For high-risk AI systems used for law enforcement purposes Article 13 of Directive (EU) 2016/680 shall apply.
12. Deployers shall cooperate with the relevant competent authorities in any action those authorities take in relation to the high-risk AI system in order to implement this Regulation.
Table of Contents
Chapter III: High-Risk AI Systems
- Section 1: Classification of AI Systems as High-Risk
- Section 2: Requirements for High-Risk AI Systems
- Article 8: Compliance with the Requirements
- Article 9: Risk Management System
- Article 10: Data and Data Governance
- Article 11: Technical Documentation
- Article 12: Record-Keeping
- Article 13: Transparency and Provision of Information to Deployers
- Article 14: Human Oversight
- Article 15: Accuracy, Robustness and Cybersecurity
- Section 3: Obligations of Providers and Deployers of High-Risk AI Systems and Other Parties
- Article 16: Obligations of Providers of High-Risk AI Systems
- Article 17: Quality Management System
- Article 18: Documentation Keeping
- Article 19: Automatically Generated Logs
- Article 20: Corrective Actions and Duty of Information
- Article 21: Cooperation with Competent Authorities
- Article 22: Authorised Representatives of Providers of High-Risk AI Systems
- Article 23: Obligations of Importers
- Article 23a
- Article 24: Obligations of Distributors
- Article 25: Responsibilities along the AI Value Chain
- Article 26: Obligations of Deployers of High-Risk AI Systems
- Article 27: Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment for High-Risk AI Systems
- Section 4: Notifying Authorities and Notified Bodies
- Article 28: Notifying Authorities
- Article 29: Application of a Conformity Assessment Body for Notification
- Article 30: Notification Procedure
- Article 31: Requirements Relating to Notified Bodies
- Article 32: Presumption of Conformity with Requirements Relating to Notified Bodies
- Article 33: Subsidiaries of Notified Bodies and Subcontracting
- Article 34: Operational Obligations of Notified Bodies
- Article 35: Identification Numbers and Lists of Notified Bodies
- Article 36: Changes to Notifications
- Article 37: Challenge to the Competence of Notified Bodies
- Article 38: Coordination of Notified Bodies
- Article 39: Conformity Assessment Bodies of Third Countries
- Section 5: Standards, Conformity Assessment, Certification, Registration
- Article 40: Harmonised Standards and Standardisation Deliverables
- Article 41: Common Specifications
- Article 42: Presumption of Conformity with Certain Requirements
- Article 43: Conformity Assessment
- Article 44: Certificates
- Article 45: Information Obligations of Notified Bodies
- Article 46: Derogation from Conformity Assessment Procedure
- Article 47: EU Declaration of Conformity
- Article 48: CE Marking
- Article 49: Registration
Chapter V: General-Purpose AI Models
Chapter VI: Measures in Support of Innovation
- Article 57: AI Regulatory Sandboxes
- Article 58: Detailed Arrangements for, and Functioning of, AI Regulatory Sandboxes
- Article 59: Further Processing of Personal Data for Developing Certain AI Systems in the Public Interest in the AI Regulatory Sandbox
- Article 60: Testing of High-Risk AI Systems in Real World Conditions Outside AI Regulatory Sandboxes
- Article 61: Informed Consent to Participate in Testing in Real World Conditions Outside AI Regulatory Sandboxes
- Article 62: Measures for Providers and Deployers, in Particular SMEs, including Start-Ups
- Article 63: Derogations for Specific Operators
Chapter VII: Governance
Chapter IX: Post-Market Monitoring, Information Sharing and Market Surveillance
- Section 1: Post-Market Monitoring
- Section 2: Sharing of Information on Serious Incidents
- Section 3: Enforcement
- Article 74: Market Surveillance and Control of AI Systems in the Union Market
- Article 75: Mutual Assistance, Market Surveillance and Control of General-Purpose AI Systems
- Article 76: Supervision of Testing in Real World Conditions by Market Surveillance Authorities
- Article 77: Powers of Authorities Protecting Fundamental Rights
- Article 78: Confidentiality
- Article 80: Procedure for Dealing with AI Systems Classified by the Provider as Non-High-Risk in Application of Annex III
- Article 81: Union Safeguard Procedure
- Article 82: Compliant AI Systems which Present a Risk
- Article 82a
- Article 83: Formal Non-Compliance
- Article 84: Union AI Testing Support Structures
- Article 79: Procedure at National Level for Dealing with AI Systems Presenting a Risk
- Section 4: Remedies
- Section 5: Supervision, Investigation, Enforcement and Monitoring in Respect of Providers of General-Purpose AI Models
- Article 88: Enforcement of the Obligations of Providers of General-Purpose AI Models
- Article 89: Monitoring Actions
- Article 90: Alerts of Systemic Risks by the Scientific Panel
- Article 91: Power to Request Documentation and Information
- Article 92: Power to Conduct Evaluations
- Article 93: Power to Request Measures
- Article 94: Procedural Rights of Economic Operators of the General-Purpose AI Model
Chapter XIII: Final Provisions
- Article 102: Amendment to Regulation (EC) No 300/2008
- Article 103: Amendment to Regulation (EU) No 167/2013
- Article 104: Amendment to Regulation (EU) No 168/2013
- Article 105: Amendment to Directive 2014/90/EU
- Article 106: Amendment to Directive (EU) 2016/797
- Article 107: Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2018/858
- Article 108: Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139
- Article 109: Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2019/2144
- Article 110: Amendment to Directive (EU) 2020/1828
- Article 111: AI Systems Already Placed on the Market or Put into Service and General-Purpose AI Models Already Placed on the Marked
- Article 112: Evaluation and Review
- Article 113: Entry into Force and Application