Glossary · AI Act
CE Marking (AI Act)
The conformity mark that high-risk AI systems must carry before being placed on the EU market, signalling compliance with the AI Act.
Explained in depth: AI Act overview
The AI Act plugs into the EU's product-safety tradition: like machinery or medical devices, a high-risk AI system must undergo conformity assessment, receive an EU declaration of conformity, and be CE-marked before it is placed on the market or put into service. The marking is affixed visibly to the system or, for purely digital systems, in its documentation or interface. Behind the mark stands the full compliance file: risk management system, data governance, technical documentation, logging capability, instructions for use, human oversight design, and accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity measures. For most Annex III systems, providers self-assess against the requirements (often via harmonised standards); for certain biometric systems, a notified body must be involved.
Why it matters
CE marking turns AI compliance into a market-access question: no mark, no EU market for high-risk systems. Buyers of AI systems can and should ask for the CE mark and the declaration of conformity as a first-line procurement check from August 2026.