General-Purpose AI Models

Under Article 3(63) of the eu-ai-act-regulation-2024-1689, a general-purpose AI model means "an AI model, including where such an AI model is trained with a large amount of data using self-supervision at scale, that displays significant generality and is capable of competently performing a wide range of distinct tasks regardless of the way the model is placed on the market and that can be integrated into a variety of downstream systems or applications."

Key Characteristics

Significant generality: Capable of performing diverse tasks
Wide range of distinct tasks: Not limited to specific applications
Integration capability: Can be incorporated into various downstream systems
Scale training: Often trained on large datasets using self-supervision

Obligations for Providers

Under Article 53, providers must:

Draw up and maintain technical documentation (Annex XI)
Provide information to downstream providers (Annex XII)
Implement copyright compliance policies
Publish training content summaries
Cooperate with authorities

Systemic Risk Classification

Models are classified as having systemic-risk under Article 51 if they:

Have high-impact capabilities (presumed if >10²⁵ FLOPs for training)
Are designated by the Commission based on equivalent capabilities/impact

Additional Obligations for Systemic Risk Models

Under Article 55, providers must also:

Perform model evaluation including adversarial testing
Assess and mitigate systemic risks at Union level
Report serious incidents to the AI Office
Ensure adequate cybersecurity protection

Exceptions