We continue our in-depth look at the AI Act Service Desk of the European Commission — the official portal that provides tools, clarifications, and operational support for the implementation of the European Regulation on Artificial Intelligence.
After outlining, in the Alert of 23 October 2025, the main features and purposes of the AI Act Service Desk, this edition focuses on the FAQs published by the Commission, designed to help correctly interpret the definitions, scope of application, roles, and obligations set out in the Regulation.
The FAQs — which will be periodically updated — address the most common questions raised by public and private stakeholders, clarifying aspects such as:
- who and what falls within the scope of the AI Act;
- the distinction between providers, deployers, importers, and distributors;
- the specific rules for general-purpose AI (GPAI) and open-source models;
- the classification of systems according to risk level and prohibited practices;
- the compliance obligations associated with each role and risk category.
Definitions and Scope of Application
The FAQs dedicated to the definitions and scope of application of the AI Act address the most common questions about who and what falls within the perimeter of the Regulation.
They start with a fundamental question: What is an AI system according to EU law?
The answer clarifies that it is not limited to complex machine learning models, but includes any system that, with a certain degree of autonomy, processes inputs and produces outputs based on inferences to achieve specific objectives.
Another key point concerns the applicability of the Regulation: responding to the more strategic question, “Is my system subject to the AI Act?” — helping stakeholders understand the operational implications of that answer.
