AI governance glossary
Fundamental rights impact assessment (FRIA)
Definition
An assessment, before first use, of how a high-risk AI system could affect the people it is used on: who is affected, the specific risks of harm, the human oversight in place and what happens if the risks materialise. The EU AI Act requires it of public bodies, private bodies providing public services, and deployers of systems for credit scoring and for life and health insurance pricing.
Source: EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689). A plain-language explanation for orientation, not the legal text; follow the source for the binding wording.
Impact assessment duties →FRIA template →
Laws and policies on record that use it
- EU AI ActEuropean Union · Partially applicable
Duties that mention it
- Carry out a fundamental rights impact assessment before deploymentEU AI Act · European Union
- Deployers must use the provider's transparency information in their data protection impact assessmentEU AI Act · European Union
Related terms
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- High-risk AI systemIn the EU AI Act, an AI system that is a safety component of (or is itself) a product covered by the EU produc...
- Human oversightDesign and operating measures that let people effectively oversee an AI system while it is in use: understand...
- Red teaming (AI)Structured adversarial testing in which testers try to make an AI system fail: produce harmful output, leak da...
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Frequently asked questions
What does "Fundamental rights impact assessment" mean?
An assessment, before first use, of how a high-risk AI system could affect the people it is used on: who is affected, the specific risks of harm, the human oversight in place and what happens if the risks materialise. The EU AI Act requires it of public bodies, private bodies providing public services, and deployers of systems for credit scoring and for life and health insurance pricing.
Where does the term Fundamental rights impact assessment come from?
This explanation follows EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689). It is a plain-language paraphrase for orientation; the source has the binding wording.
Which laws and policies use the term Fundamental rights impact assessment?
Among the records on this site: EU AI Act (EU).