eu-ai-act-roles-oliver-schmidt-prietz

EU AI Act Role Determination

Determine the organization's role under the AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) — provider (Anbieter), deployer (Betreiber), importer, distributor, or quasi-provider — and assess Art. 25 quasi-provider risk.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

IMPORTANT NOTICE This assessment provides structured guidance based on the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) and Commission value chain guidance. It does not constitute legal advice. Final role determinations should involve qualified legal counsel with AI Act expertise.

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When to Search the Web

On activation — search for:

EU AI Act Commission guidance provider deployer roles value chain [current year]
EU AI Act Art. 25 substantial modification guidance latest

For finetuning assessment — search for:

EU AI Act finetuning substantial modification technical standards [current year]
EU AI Act open source model modification provider status

For value chain obligations — search for:

EU AI Act provider deployer responsibility allocation guidance [current year]
EU AI Act Art. 25(2) original provider support duty interpretation

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Workflow: Ask Questions ONE AT A TIME

Phase 1: Context Gathering (Adaptive Intake)

Prior Assessment Context (optional):

"If you have previously run another EU AI Act skill, you may paste the Assessment Context block here. This pre-fills several fields and avoids redundant input."

If context is provided, pre-populate applicable fields and skip to confirmation. If any field conflicts with user answers, flag the inconsistency.

Batch 1 — Open-ended question (single prompt):

"Let's determine your organization's role under the EU AI Act."

You can answer in your own words — a short paragraph or bullet points. I'll ask follow-up questions only if needed.

Describe your organization's relationship to this AI system: how you obtained it, what you do with it, whether you've modified it, and how it reaches users.

Coverage Analysis (internal — do not show this table to the user):

After the user responds, silently extract these 4 fields from their natural-language answer:

#	Field	Normalized values
1	System acquisition	Self-developed · Commissioned · Purchased/licensed · Open-source · Third-party component
2	Organizational relationship	Developing for others · Deploying under own authority · Distributing · Importing · Integrating · Multiple
3	Market status	Already on EU market · First placement · First deployment · Already deployed
4	Modifications	None · Configuration · Finetuning/retraining · Changed purpose · Own brand · Substantial modification

Apply generous extraction — e.g., "bought from US vendor" covers System acquisition (Purchased/licensed) + Market status (First placement) + potential Importer dimension. "We finetuned it and sell it under our brand" covers Modifications (Finetuning/retraining + Own brand) + Organizational relationship (Developing for others / Distributing).

Batch 2 — Adaptive follow-up (only if needed):

• If all 4 fields are clearly covered → skip Batch 2 entirely. Confirm extractions: "Based on your description, I've identified: [field summary]. Does this look correct?"
• If 1-2 fields are partially covered → confirm partial extractions: "You mentioned [X] — is this specifically [normalized value]?"
• If 2+ fields are missing → ask about gaps only: "A couple of details I still need: [specific missing fields]"
• Maximum 2 interaction turns for intake.

Information Normalization (internal):

Before proceeding to Phase 2, normalize all extracted information into the 4 structured fields above. If a field remains unclear after Batch 2, mark it as [UNCLEAR — proceeding with cautious assumptions] and note which assumption was made.

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Phase 2: Primary Role Determination

Read references/role-definitions.md for full legal definitions.

Apply the decision tree through Art. 3(3)-(7):

ROLE DETERMINATION DECISION TREE

System acquisition + Organizational relationship → Role mapping:

Develops or commissions development + places on market/puts into service
  under own name/trademark?
  └─ YES → PROVIDER (Anbieter) — Art. 3(3)

Uses AI system under own authority in professional capacity?
  └─ YES → DEPLOYER (Betreiber) — Art. 3(4)

Imports AI system from third country to place on EU market?
  └─ YES → IMPORTER (Einführer) — Art. 3(6)

Makes AI system available on EU market (not as provider/importer)?
  └─ YES → DISTRIBUTOR (Händler) — Art. 3(7)

Integrates AI system into product as manufacturer?
  └─ YES → Product manufacturer — Art. 25(3), treated as PROVIDER

Multiple roles: An organization can hold multiple roles simultaneously (e.g., provider of one system and deployer of another). Assess each system separately.

Output after primary role determination:

"Based on your answers, your primary role appears to be [Role] under Art. 3([X]) AI Act. [Brief reasoning based on answers]"

Role Determination Visual Decision Tree

                ┌──────────────────────────────┐
                │ Did your org DEVELOP or       │
                │ COMMISSION the AI system?     │
                └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                               │
              ┌── YES ─────────┼─────────── NO ──┐
              │                                   │
              ▼                                   ▼
   ┌──────────────────┐              ┌──────────────────────┐
   │ Place on market / │              │ How does your org    │
   │ put into service  │              │ interact with the    │
   │ under OWN name?   │              │ system?              │
   └────────┬─────────┘              └──────────┬───────────┘
            │                                   │
     YES ───┤                    ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
            ▼                    │              │              │
   ┌────────────────┐   Uses under      Imports from    Makes available
   │ PROVIDER       │   own authority   non-EU to EU    on EU market
   │ (Anbieter)     │        │              │              │
   │ Art. 3(3)      │        ▼              ▼              ▼
   └────────────────┘  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐
                       │ DEPLOYER │  │ IMPORTER │  │DISTRIBUTOR│
                       │(Betreiber)│  │(Einfuehrer)│ │(Haendler)│
                       │ Art. 3(4)│  │ Art. 3(6)│  │ Art. 3(7)│
                       └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └──────────┘

   Note: Product manufacturers integrating AI → Art. 25(3) → PROVIDER

For sector-specific role determination nuances, see references/sector-guidance-crossref.md. For worked role determination examples, see references/case-studies.md.

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Phase 3: Quasi-Provider Risk Assessment (Art. 25)

Only proceed with this phase if:

1. The system is high-risk, AND
2. The user is not already classified as the original provider

Read references/quasi-provider-scenarios.md and references/substantial-modification.md.

"I will now assess whether your organization could be treated as a new provider under Art. 25 ('quasi-provider'). This applies when certain modifications or actions cause a deployer, distributor, or importer to assume provider obligations."

Scenario 1 — Own Name/Brand — Art. 25(1)(a):

"Have you put your own name, trademark, or brand on the AI system, or do you present it to end users under your own branding?"

If YES → quasi-provider under Art. 25(1)(a). Organization assumes full provider obligations.

Scenario 2 — Substantial Modification — Art. 25(1)(b):

"Have you made a substantial modification (wesentliche Veränderung) to the AI system?"

Read references/substantial-modification.md for the 3-step checklist.

Apply the 3-step determination:

Step 1: Identify the change

"What specific changes were made to the AI system? (technical parameters, data, architecture, deployment context)"

Step 2: Assess foreseeability

"Were these changes foreseen or covered in the original provider's conformity assessment or intended purpose documentation?"

Step 3: Evaluate risk impact

"Did the changes affect compliance with requirements in Chapter III, Section 2 (Art. 8-15), or did they alter the system's risk profile?"

If finetuning is involved → apply graduated assessment from references/finetuning-assessment.md:

Finetuning Level	Risk of Substantial Modification
PEFT/Adapter (LoRA, QLoRA)	Low — typically does not constitute substantial modification
Layer-wise finetuning	Medium — may constitute substantial modification depending on scope
Full model retraining	High — likely constitutes substantial modification

Scenario 3 — Changed Intended Purpose — Art. 25(1)(c):

"Have you changed the intended purpose (Zweckbestimmung) of the AI system from what the original provider specified?"

If YES → quasi-provider under Art. 25(1)(c). A change of intended purpose always triggers provider status for the entity that changed the purpose.

Scenarios 4-5 — Product Manufacturer Integration — Art. 25(3)(a-b):

"Are you a product manufacturer who:"

• "(a) places on the market or puts into service a high-risk AI system together with your product under your own name or trademark?"
• "(b) puts into service a high-risk AI system bearing your name or trademark after it has already been placed on the market?"

If YES to either → provider obligations apply to the product manufacturer.

Art. 25(4) Exception:

"Were the changes you made already foreseen and covered in the original provider's conformity assessment?"

If YES → Art. 25(4) applies — the original conformity assessment remains valid, and Art. 25(1)(b) does not trigger quasi-provider status.

Quasi-Provider Trigger Assessment Decision Tree

              ┌──────────────────────────────────┐
              │ Is the system HIGH-RISK and       │
              │ obtained from another provider?   │
              └───────────────┬──────────────────┘
                              │
               NO ────────────┼──────────── YES
               │                             │
               ▼                             ▼
    ┌─────────────────┐       ┌──────────────────────────┐
    │ Art. 25 does    │       │ Check 3 triggers:        │
    │ not apply.      │       └──────────┬───────────────┘
    │ Stay in primary │                  │
    │ role.           │    ┌─────────────┼─────────────┐
    └─────────────────┘    │             │             │
                           ▼             ▼             ▼
                   ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
                   │ Own name/  │ │ Substantial│ │ Changed    │
                   │ brand?     │ │ modifica-  │ │ intended   │
                   │ Art.25(1a) │ │ tion?      │ │ purpose?   │
                   └─────┬──────┘ │ Art.25(1b) │ │ Art.25(1c) │
                         │        └─────┬──────┘ └─────┬──────┘
                    YES ─┤         YES ─┤          YES ─┤
                         │              │               │
                         │         ┌────▼─────┐        │
                         │         │Art. 25(4)│        │
                         │         │Foreseen? │        │
                         │         └────┬─────┘        │
                         │         YES ─┤── NO         │
                         │              │    │         │
                         │    No quasi- │    │         │
                         │    provider  │    │         │
                         │              │    │         │
                         ▼              │    ▼         ▼
                   ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
                   │  QUASI-PROVIDER                     │
                   │  Full Art. 16 provider obligations  │
                   │  New conformity assessment required  │
                   └─────────────────────────────────────┘

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Phase 4: Role Determination Dashboard

## AI Act Role Determination
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Organization:    [name]
AI System:       [name]
Date:            [date]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Primary Role:            [Provider / Deployer / Importer / Distributor]
Legal Basis:             [Art. 3(x)]
Quasi-Provider Risk:     [None / Low / Medium / High]
Art. 25 Scenario:        [N/A / Scenario 1-5 with detail]
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ANALYSIS SUMMARY:
[2-3 sentence summary of role determination reasoning]
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FLAGS:
[e.g., "Finetuning detected — layer-wise modification may trigger Art. 25(1)(b)"]
[e.g., "Purpose change from manufacturer's intended use detected"]
[e.g., "Own branding on third-party system — Art. 25(1)(a) quasi-provider"]
[e.g., "Product manufacturer integration — Art. 25(3) applies"]
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RESPONSIBILITIES:
Original provider support obligation: [Art. 25(2) — must provide technical docs and cooperation]
New conformity assessment required: [Yes / No / Potentially]
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ASSESSMENT CONTEXT (paste into next skill)
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System: [name]
Classification: [from prior assessment or TBD]
Basis: [from prior assessment or TBD]
Role: [role]
Quasi-Provider: [risk level]
Sector: [sector]
Jurisdiction: [list]
Org Size: [size]
Art. 50: [from prior assessment or TBD]
GPAI: [from prior assessment or TBD]
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NEXT STEPS:
→ Run /ai-act-obligations for applicable requirements based on this role
→ Run /ai-act-report to generate formal assessment documentation
→ If quasi-provider risk is Medium/High: seek legal counsel for detailed Art. 25 analysis
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Critical Reminders

1. An organization can be both provider and deployer — for different systems or even the same system in different contexts
2. Art. 25 quasi-provider is a trap — many organizations unknowingly become providers through finetuning or rebranding
3. Art. 25(2) mutual support obligation — even when quasi-provider status triggers, the original provider must cooperate and provide technical documentation
4. Intended purpose is the key anchor — any change from the provider's documented intended purpose triggers Art. 25(1)(c)
5. Configuration ≠ modification — using a system within the provider's intended configuration range does not constitute substantial modification
6. Open-source models — downloading and deploying an open-source model under own brand likely triggers Art. 25(1)(a)
7. Search for latest guidance — the Commission is expected to publish detailed Art. 25 guidance
8. Jurisdiction-specific employment law — role determination has national employment law implications. Reference references/employment-law-overlay.md Section 3 for per-country works council requirements (DE: BetrVG, AT: ArbVG, FR: Code du Travail, NL: WOR, IT: Statuto dei Lavoratori, ES: Ley Rider) that apply in addition to AI Act role obligations
9. Compliance timeline — reference references/compliance-deadlines.md for applicable deadlines based on role and risk tier