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Regulation Tracker / EU AI Act / Chapter I

Article 2
Scope

Chapter I — Subject matter'. 13 distinct duties, powers or definitions are coded from this article, applying from 2025-02-02. 2 reach legal practice directly.

Amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI), in force 2026-07-27 — about 222 words changed. The text below is the consolidated version of 27 July 2026; the 2024 text and the amending regulation are on EUR-Lex.

official text: EUR-Lex (consolidated 27 Jul 2026) · text © European Union (Decision 2011/833/EU) · coding CC BY 4.0 · data: obligations.json · Hugging Face · GitHub

The text

1. This Regulation applies to:

  1. (a)providers placing on the market or putting into service AI systems or placing on the market general-purpose AI models in the Union, irrespective of whether those providers are established or located within the Union or in a third country;
  2. (b)deployers of AI systems that have their place of establishment or are located within the Union;
  3. (c)providers and deployers of AI systems that have their place of establishment or are located in a third country, where the output produced by the AI system is used in the Union;
  4. (d)importers and distributors of AI systems;
  5. (e)product manufacturers placing on the market or putting into service an AI system together with their product and under their own name or trademark;
  6. (f)authorised representatives of providers, which are not established in the Union;
  7. (g)affected persons that are located in the Union.

2. For AI systems classified as high-risk AI systems in accordance with Article 6(1) related to products covered by the Union harmonisation legislation listed in Section B of Annex I, only Article 6(1), Article 60a and Articles 102 to 112 shall apply. Articles 57, 58 and 59 shall apply only in so far as the requirements for high-risk AI systems under this Regulation have been integrated in that Union harmonisation legislation.

3. This Regulation does not apply to areas outside the scope of Union law, and shall not, in any event, affect the competences of the Member States concerning national security, regardless of the type of entity entrusted by the Member States with carrying out tasks in relation to those competences.

4. This Regulation applies neither to public authorities in a third country nor to international organisations falling within the scope of this Regulation pursuant to paragraph 1, where those authorities or organisations use AI systems in the framework of international cooperation or agreements for law enforcement and judicial cooperation with the Union or with one or more Member States, provided that such a third country or international organisation provides adequate safeguards with respect to the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals.

5. This Regulation shall not affect the application of the provisions on the liability of providers of intermediary services as set out in Chapter II of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065.

6. This Regulation does not apply to AI systems or AI models, including their output, specifically developed and put into service for the sole purpose of scientific research and development.

7. Union law on the protection of personal data, privacy and the confidentiality of communications applies to personal data processed in connection with the rights and obligations laid down in this Regulation. Without prejudice to Articles 4a and 59 of this Regulation, this Regulation shall not affect Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or (EU) 2018/1725, or Directive 2002/58/EC or (EU) 2016/680.

8. This Regulation does not apply to any research, testing or development activity regarding AI systems or AI models prior to their being placed on the market or put into service. Such activities shall be conducted in accordance with applicable Union law. Testing in real world conditions shall not be covered by that exclusion.

9. This Regulation is without prejudice to the rules laid down by other Union legal acts related to consumer protection and product safety.

10. This Regulation does not apply to obligations of deployers who are natural persons using AI systems in the course of a purely personal non-professional activity.

11. This Regulation does not preclude the Union or Member States from maintaining or introducing laws, regulations or administrative provisions which are more favourable to workers in terms of protecting their rights in respect of the use of AI systems by employers, or from encouraging or allowing the application of collective agreements which are more favourable to workers.

12. This Regulation does not apply to AI systems released under free and open-source licences, unless they are placed on the market or put into service as high-risk AI systems or as an AI system that falls under Article 5 or 50.

13. For high-risk AI systems referred to in Article 6(1), the application of specific requirements or obligations laid down in Articles 9 to 15 and 17 to 25 may be limited, where and to the extent that:

  1. (a)Union harmonisation legislation listed in Section A of Annex I lays down requirements or obligations providing an equivalent or higher level of protection of health, safety or fundamental rights as the requirement or obligation concerned; and
  2. (b)such limitation does not reduce the overall level of protection provided for by this Regulation.

What it requires, coded

SafeLegalAI's reading of each duty in this article: who, what, from when, under which fine tier, and whether it reaches a firm, chambers, court or legal-AI vendor. Descriptive, not advice; the quoted words are the Regulation's.

  1. Art. 2(1)Scope or definitionNot tier-specificlegal practice

    The Regulation applies to providers, deployers, importers, distributors, product manufacturers, authorised representatives and affected persons linked to Union-market AI systems or AI outputs used in the Union.

    "This Regulation applies to:"
    Who
    Provider, Deployer, Importer, Distributor, Product manufacturer, Authorised representative, Natural person
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal practice directly — EU law firms, courts, in-house legal teams, and non-EU legal-AI vendors can fall in scope where establishment, use, or output is in the Union.

  2. Art. 2(2)Scope or definitionHigh-risk

    For Article 6(1) high-risk AI systems related to Section B Annex I products, only the specified AI Act provisions apply, with Articles 57 to 59 applying only where integrated into that harmonisation law.

    "For AI systems classified as high-risk AI systems in accordance with Article 6(1) related to products covered by the Union harmonisation legislation listed in Section B of Annex I, only Article 6(1), Article 60a and Articles 102 to 112 shall apply. Articles 57, 58 and 59 shall apply only in so far as the requirements for high-risk AI systems under"
    Who
    Provider, Product manufacturer
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)For Art. 6(1)/Annex I high-risk systems, Art. 113(c)(ii) as amended applies the corresponding obligation from 2028-08-02; Art. 111(2) gives public-authority high-risk systems until 2030-08-02.
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Mostly concerns product-regulated AI rather than ordinary law-firm software, though some legal-sector AI could be embedded in regulated products.
    See
    Art. 6(1) · Annex I Section B · Art. 57 · Art. 58 · Art. 59 · Art. 60a · Art. 102-112

  3. Art. 2(3)Derogation or exemptionNot tier-specific

    The Regulation excludes areas outside Union law and does not affect Member State national-security competences, regardless of the entity entrusted with those tasks.

    "This Regulation does not apply to areas outside the scope of Union law, and shall not, in any event, affect the competences of the Member States concerning national security, regardless of the type of entity entrusted by the Member States with carrying out tasks in relation to those competences."
    Who
    Member State, Other
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — May matter in national-security or defence-adjacent public-sector legal contexts, but not ordinary legal practice AI use.

  4. Art. 2(4)Derogation or exemptionNot tier-specific

    Third-country public authorities and international organisations are outside scope when using AI under law-enforcement or judicial-cooperation agreements with adequate fundamental-rights safeguards.

    "This Regulation applies neither to public authorities in a third country nor to international organisations falling within the scope of this Regulation pursuant to paragraph 1, where those authorities or organisations use AI systems in the framework of international cooperation or agreements for law enforcement and judicial cooperation with the Union or with one or more Member States, provided that"
    Who
    Public-authority deployer, Other
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to cross-border judicial cooperation where non-EU authorities use AI under agreements with EU or Member State bodies.

  5. Art. 2(5)Scope or definitionNot tier-specific

    The Regulation does not affect the Digital Services Act intermediary-liability provisions for providers of intermediary services.

    "This Regulation shall not affect the application of the provisions on the liability of providers of intermediary services as set out in Chapter II of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065."
    Who
    Provider, Other
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Relevant mainly to legal advice about overlapping platform regimes rather than to day-to-day legal AI deployment.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2022/2065

  6. Art. 2(6)Derogation or exemptionNot tier-specific

    AI systems or AI models, including their output, that are specifically developed and put into service solely for scientific research and development are excluded.

    "This Regulation does not apply to AI systems or AI models, including their output, specifically developed and put into service for the sole purpose of scientific research and development."
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Legal-AI research prototypes may fall outside the Regulation only where the sole purpose is scientific research and development.

  7. Art. 2(7)Scope or definitionNot tier-specificlegal practice

    Union personal-data, privacy and communications-confidentiality law continues to apply to personal data processed in connection with AI Act rights and obligations, subject to Articles 4a and 59.

    "Union law on the protection of personal data, privacy and the confidentiality of communications applies to personal data processed in connection with the rights and obligations laid down in this Regulation. Without prejudice to Articles 4a and 59 of this Regulation, this Regulation shall not affect Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or (EU) 2018/1725, or Directive 2002/58/EC or (EU) 2016/680."
    Who
    Any operator, Union institution
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal practice directly — Legal AI often processes client, case, employee or court-user personal data, so GDPR and law-enforcement data rules remain independently relevant.
    See
    Art. 4a · Art. 59 · Regulation (EU) 2016/679 · Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 · Directive 2002/58/EC · Directive (EU) 2016/680

  8. Art. 2(8)Derogation or exemptionNot tier-specific

    Pre-market research, testing and development activities for AI systems or models are excluded, but those activities must follow applicable Union law and real-world testing is not covered by the exclusion.

    "This Regulation does not apply to any research, testing or development activity regarding AI systems or AI models prior to their being placed on the market or put into service. Such activities shall be conducted in accordance with applicable Union law. Testing in real world conditions shall not be covered by that exclusion."
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Legal-AI vendors can prototype before market release, but real-world pilots with clients or courts are not covered by this exclusion.

  9. Art. 2(9)Scope or definitionNot tier-specific

    The Regulation is without prejudice to other Union legal acts related to consumer protection and product safety.

    "This Regulation is without prejudice to the rules laid down by other Union legal acts related to consumer protection and product safety."
    Who
    Any operator
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Relevant mainly to legal advice about overlapping regimes rather than to day-to-day legal AI deployment.

  10. Art. 2(10)Derogation or exemptionNot tier-specific

    Deployer obligations do not apply to natural persons using AI systems in the course of a purely personal, non-professional activity.

    "This Regulation does not apply to obligations of deployers who are natural persons using AI systems in the course of a purely personal non-professional activity."
    Who
    Natural person, Deployer
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — The exclusion does not cover professional use by lawyers, legal staff, in-house teams or court personnel.

  11. Art. 2(11)Scope or definitionNot tier-specific

    The Union and Member States may maintain or introduce worker-protective rules on employers’ use of AI and may encourage or allow more favourable collective agreements.

    "This Regulation does not preclude the Union or Member States from maintaining or introducing laws, regulations or administrative provisions which are more favourable to workers in terms of protecting their rights in respect of the use of AI systems by employers, or from encouraging or allowing the application of collective agreements which are more favourable to workers."
    Who
    Member State
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Law firms, legal departments and courts using workplace AI may also face employment-law rules more protective than the AI Act baseline.

  12. Art. 2(12)Derogation or exemptionNot tier-specific

    AI systems released under free and open-source licences are excluded unless they are placed on the market or put into service as high-risk systems or systems falling under Article 5 or 50.

    "This Regulation does not apply to AI systems released under free and open-source licences, unless they are placed on the market or put into service as high-risk AI systems or as an AI system that falls under Article 5 or 50."
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Open-source legal-AI tools can still be in scope if placed on the market or used as high-risk, prohibited-practice or transparency-risk systems.
    See
    Art. 5 · Art. 50

  13. Art. 2(13)Derogation or exemptionHigh-risk

    For Article 6(1) high-risk systems, specific requirements or obligations in Articles 9 to 15 and 17 to 25 may be limited where Annex I Section A law gives equivalent or higher protection without reducing the overall AI Act level.

    "For high-risk AI systems referred to in Article 6(1), the application of specific requirements or obligations laid down in Articles 9 to 15 and 17 to 25 may be limited, where and to the extent that:"
    Who
    Provider, Product manufacturer
    From
    (Art. 113(a) as amended by Reg. (EU) 2026/1744)Inserted by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force 2026-07-27.
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Mainly affects product-regulated AI supply chains rather than ordinary legal AI, but it can affect providers of AI embedded in regulated products.
    See
    Art. 6(1) · Annex I Section A · Art. 9-15 · Art. 17-25

Cite

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Article 2 (Scope), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, consolidated text of 27 July 2026, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/2026-07-27/eng#art_2 — text © European Union; only the Official Journal is authentic. Coding: SafeLegalAI (published by Cognesio LLP), "EU AI Act, structured", safelegalai.com/regulation/eu-ai-act/article-2, accessed 2026-09-08, CC BY 4.0.