AI governance glossary
Intended purpose
Definition
The use a provider intends an AI system for, including the context and conditions of use, as stated in its instructions, marketing and technical documentation. Classification as high-risk, and most provider duties, are assessed against the intended purpose; using a system outside it can shift provider duties onto the user.
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.
Laws and policies on record that use it
- Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA)Texas (United States) · In force
- EU AI ActEuropean Union · Partially applicable
- NIST AI RMFUnited States · Voluntary standard
Duties that mention it
- Apply data governance and quality criteria to training, validation and testing dataEU AI Act · European Union
- Design high-risk systems to log events automaticallyEU AI Act · European Union
- Provide deployers with clear instructions for useEU AI Act · European Union
- Providers must retain automatically generated logs under their controlEU AI Act · European Union
- Deployers, distributors and importers must assume provider duties when they rebrand or substantially modify high-risk AIEU AI Act · European Union
- Deployers must ensure input data they control is relevant and representativeEU AI Act · European Union
- Deployers must use the provider's transparency information in their data protection impact assessmentEU AI Act · European Union
- Developers and deployers must not use AI to incite self-harm, harm to others or crimeTexas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA) · Texas (United States)
Related terms
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- Red teaming (AI)Structured adversarial testing in which testers try to make an AI system fail: produce harmful output, leak da...
- Substantial modificationA change to an AI system after it is placed on the market that the provider's original conformity assessment d...
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Frequently asked questions
What does "Intended purpose" mean?
The use a provider intends an AI system for, including the context and conditions of use, as stated in its instructions, marketing and technical documentation. Classification as high-risk, and most provider duties, are assessed against the intended purpose; using a system outside it can shift provider duties onto the user.
Where does the term Intended purpose 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 Intended purpose?
Among the records on this site: Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA) (Texas); EU AI Act (EU) and NIST AI RMF (US).