⚡ Quick Summary
The EU AI Act Handbook by AIRI is a compact, practice-oriented guide for businesses and public institutions seeking to comply with the EU AI Act. It translates complex legal language into operational steps, supported by visuals and matrices for fast onboarding. Structured by risk category (unacceptable, high-risk, limited-risk, minimal-risk), the guide emphasizes how to apply the Act’s provisions in real-life scenarios. Its standout features include role-based checklists, risk classification pathways, and references to articles and annexes. This is not a theoretical explanation of the law—it’s a field manual for AI governance teams, DPOs, and legal counsels tasked with AI compliance.
🧩 What’s Covered
The handbook is divided into several practical sections:
- Introductory Overview – Introduces the AI Act’s structure, purpose, and timeline. It identifies key obligations and enforcement mechanisms, supported by a timeline chart (p. 5).
- Actor Roles & Responsibilities – Breaks down the obligations for providers, deployers, importers, distributors, and product manufacturers, with a decision tree to identify your role (p. 10).
- Risk Classification Guide – Offers a flowchart (p. 14) and Annex III mapping table for high-risk systems, with checklists for determining if a system falls into this category.
- Obligation Checklists – For each actor and risk level, the handbook provides specific compliance requirements, mapped to legal provisions (e.g., data governance, transparency, conformity assessments).
- Timeline & Transitional Provisions – Visual calendar (p. 5) and practical guidance on when and how various obligations kick in (2025–2026–2027).
- Compliance Implementation Tools – Includes:
- A “starter kit” for high-risk AI governance (p. 23)
- A conformity assessment planner
- Templates for fundamental rights impact assessments
- Annexes & Reference Tables – Summarize the AI Act’s annexes and provide navigation aids for legal references, useful for linking obligations to underlying articles.
The entire guide is visually organized with icons, matrices, and color-coded pages to support fast understanding and usability.
💡 Why it matters?
As the EU AI Act begins to roll out, organizations face the challenge of interpreting a legally dense regulation and translating it into manageable governance actions. This handbook narrows the gap between legal text and daily operations. It’s especially valuable for:
- Companies unsure of their role in the AI value chain
- Public authorities seeking conformity with transparency obligations
- DPOs and legal teams needing clear compliance sequences
- Product and engineering teams building AI into products
Rather than assuming legal expertise, it meets organizations where they are—with simplified visuals, Q&A flowcharts, and decision frameworks that accelerate understanding.
❓ What’s Missing
- No coverage of sandbox procedures or innovation exemptions, which could help SMEs or research institutions navigating Article 53.
- Limited treatment of enforcement risk, including penalties and national variation in supervisory regimes.
- No integration with ISO standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 42001) or harmonized standards under the AI Act.
- Few sector-specific examples—it lacks detailed case studies or sectoral walkthroughs for health, education, or finance.
- No digital tools or editable templates—everything is static PDF, which may limit operational uptake.
👥 Best For
- AI Governance Leads and Compliance Officers
- DPOs and Legal Counsels in the EU
- Product Managers integrating AI features
- Public Institutions deploying algorithmic tools
- Consultants building AI compliance toolkits
📄 Source Details
- Title: EU AI Act Handbook
- Author: Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Institute (AIRI)
- Published: July 2025
- Length: 35 pages
- Document Type: Practical compliance guide
- Publisher Website: AIRI (not in file, assumed from context)
📝 Thanks to
The team at AIRI for producing one of the clearest, design-forward AI Act implementation resources to date.
