# Design high-risk systems to log events automatically

- **Record type**: Obligation
- **Instrument**: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Artificial Intelligence Act
- **Jurisdiction**: European Union
- **Category**: record_keeping
- **Binding**: Yes
- **Applies from**: 2027-12-02
- **Provision**: Article 12; Article 26(6) for deployers

## In brief

Design high-risk systems to log events automatically is a legal requirement under the EU AI Act in the European Union (Article 12; Article 26(6) for deployers). High-risk AI systems must technically allow automatic recording of events (logs) over their lifetime to support traceability, post-market monitoring and operational monitoring. It applies from 2 December 2027.

## What the duty requires

High-risk AI systems must technically allow automatic recording of events (logs) over their lifetime to support traceability, post-market monitoring and operational monitoring. Deployers must keep the logs generated by the system, to the extent under their control, for a period appropriate to the intended purpose and at least six months unless other law provides otherwise.

## What an organisation does about it

Define the log schema, retention and access controls, and confirm deployer retention meets the minimum.

## Controls that meet this duty

- Automatic event logging and record retention (satisfies): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/record-keeping-and-logging

## Parent instrument

- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Artificial Intelligence Act
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act.md

## Provenance

- **Permanent id**: AIPT-OBL-0009 (https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0009; never changes or gets reused)
- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/obligations/eu-ai-act-record-keeping
- **Official source**: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj
- **Provision**: Article 12; Article 26(6) for deployers
- **Review status**: pending review
- **Confidence**: medium
- **Facts last confirmed**: never confirmed against the official source
- **Retrieved**: 2026-10-27
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- **Cite as**: AIPolicyTracker (2026). "Design high-risk systems to log events automatically (EU AI Act)" [AIPT-OBL-0009, not yet verified]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0009 (accessed 27 October 2026).

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.