CLUSTER / THE DECISION MAP
Fundamentals, scope and definitions.
What the EU AI Act is, who and what it covers, and the defined terms that decide every later question.
IN THIS CLUSTER
13 guides.
EU AI Act Explained: Rules, Risk Categories, Deadlines and Compliance
Understand how the EU AI Act works, which organisations and AI activities it regulates, how risk categories shape obligations, and which implementation deadlines matter from 2024 through 2028.
Read guide ↗01 / ORIENTWhat is the EU AI Act?
A practical overview of the EU AI Act, its risk-based structure, affected actors and phased application.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEWhat Is the EU AI Act?
Learn what the EU AI Act is, what it regulates, who can fall within its framework and why intended purpose, operator role and risk classification determine compliance obligations.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEDoes the EU AI Act apply to you? Scope and territorial reach under Article 2
How Article 2 of the EU AI Act sets material and territorial scope, which actors and activities fall inside it, and which exclusions need careful reading.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEArticle 3 definitions: the terms that decide how the EU AI Act applies
A plain-language map of the key Article 3 definitions, why each term matters, and how a misread definition can distort every later step.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEWhat is an AI system? Testing the Article 3(1) definition in practice
How to test whether a technology meets the Article 3(1) definition of an AI system, and why the answer changes everything that follows.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEGeneral-purpose AI model or AI system: why the distinction changes the duties
How a general-purpose AI model differs from an AI system, how the two combine in a downstream product, and why each needs its own assessment.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEAI system, model and component: separating the three layers before classifying
A practical separation of system, model and component, with record-keeping that keeps each layer visible through later classification and conformity work.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEResearch and development exclusions: what Article 2 leaves out, and where it ends
The scope exclusions for scientific research and for research, testing and development before placing on the market, read narrowly and with their limits stated.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEWhat is not an AI system under the EU AI Act?
Software and systems that fall outside the Article 3(1) definition, the evidence that supports that conclusion, and the other laws that may still apply.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEEU AI Act and GDPR: how the two regimes work together
Where the AI Act and data protection law overlap, where they answer different questions, and how to keep the two assessments from being confused.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEEU AI Act and product law: conformity, safety components and sectoral rules
How the AI Act connects to Union product harmonisation legislation, what Annex I does and does not do, and how conformity work should be coordinated.
Read guide ↗CLUSTER ARTICLEHow to read the EU AI Act: a chapters map for non-lawyers
A map of the chapters of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, what each chapter does, and the order in which to read them for a classification question.
Read guide ↗