⚡ Quick Summary
This white paper, authored by legal experts from Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak, delivers a comprehensive governance blueprint for responsible AI deployment. Anchored in the EU AI Act, it outlines legal obligations, ethical risks, and actionable recommendations tailored for Polish and EU-based organizations. The guide is particularly valuable for companies adopting Microsoft AI tools (e.g., M365 Copilot, Azure OpenAI) and integrates concrete templates, practical steps, and sector-specific advice.
It emphasizes the need for cross-functional collaboration, highlights emerging environmental and reputational risks, and promotes AI literacy and human oversight. By clearly mapping out responsibilities for providers, deployers, and other actors, it bridges the gap between regulatory compliance and practical implementation.
🧩 What’s Covered
The document is structured into five comprehensive sections:
1. Legal Framework
- Explains the EU AI Act’s phased application (2025–2027), scope (e.g., deployers, GPAI providers), and extraterritorial reach.
- Clarifies definitions (e.g., “AI system” vs. “AI model”) and discusses prohibited, high-risk, and limited-risk systems with real-life examples.
- Integrates AI-related GDPR obligations, focusing on personal data processing in prompts, outputs, and user interaction.
2. Risk Landscape
- Categorizes risks into four types:A. Ethical, Societal, and Environmental (bias, opacity, resource use)B. Operational (hallucinations, model misbehavior)C. Reputational (stakeholder distrust)D. Security and Privacy (data leakage, adversarial attacks)
- Adds quantified data from UNESCO on environmental impacts of AI (e.g., ChatGPT’s water usage).
3. Recommendations & Best Practices
- Proposes four governance pillars:
- Transparency & Engagement
- AI Literacy
- Security & Robustness
- Human Oversight
- Advocates appointing an AI Champion, conducting bias audits, and documenting system purposes.
4. Practical Templates & Microsoft Case Study
- Includes Microsoft’s internal tools: AETHER Committee, Responsible AI Standard, and role of RAIAs (Responsible AI Impact Assessments).
- Demonstrates how SMEs can adopt similar frameworks with limited resources.
5. Challenges and Mitigations
- Covers organizational resistance, balancing innovation with control, technical complexity, and legal fragmentation.
- Offers mitigation strategies like risk-based governance, cross-functional collaboration, and leveraging Microsoft’s Trust Center.
Annexes:
- 11 AI Act compliance tips for all organizations
- 2 tips specifically for providers (development traceability and documentation systems)
💡 Why it matters?
This white paper is one of the most practical, legally sound, and implementation-focused guides for aligning with the EU AI Act—especially for organizations in Central Europe. Unlike many theoretical frameworks, it goes deep into the operationalization of compliance: appointing internal roles, conducting risk assessments, and using Microsoft’s ecosystem to accelerate readiness.
It addresses not only high-level principles but also provides templates for risk mitigation and compliance checklists. The emphasis on transparency, human oversight, and measurable AI literacy reflects evolving societal expectations and regulatory scrutiny. This makes the document highly actionable for compliance officers, in-house legal teams, and AI governance leads.
❓ What’s Missing
- Insufficient technical depth: While rich in legal and organizational detail, the paper lacks deeper coverage of model auditability techniques, red-teaming protocols, or dataset risk assessments.
- No discussion of AI value chains or third-party risks: It does not fully address complex deployment scenarios (e.g., vendor-AI-integration or API-based services).
- Limited sector-specific application: Only general references to regulated sectors (health, finance, law) without tailored checklists or case studies for each.
- Underexplored open-source AI challenges: The distinction between commercial and open-source GPAI is mentioned but not operationalized for compliance purposes.
👥 Best For
- Polish and EU companies integrating Microsoft AI services (e.g., M365 Copilot, Azure OpenAI)
- AI Champions, legal counsels, compliance officers, and privacy managers seeking AI Act readiness
- SMEs needing lean but effective governance structures
- Organizations in regulated sectors (finance, education, health) preparing for high-risk AI use
- Policy educators and consultants looking for practical implementation examples for clients
📄 Source Details
Title: AI GOVERNANCE – A Framework for Responsible and Compliant Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Agata Szeliga, Anna Tujakowska, Sylwia Macura-Targosz
Firm: Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak
Publication Date: September 2025
Jurisdiction: Focus on EU law (especially Poland)
Special Features: Microsoft case studies, compliance tips, governance templates
📝 Thanks to
Agata Szeliga, Anna Tujakowska, and Sylwia Macura-Targosz for contributing an essential resource that merges legal precision with practical AI governance implementation. Microsoft’s tools and frameworks, cited throughout, also add immense value.
