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EU AI Act · ISO/IEC 42001 · governance

Glossary of the key terms

These terms help align compliance, legal, and business teams on the same language.

Terms and website usage

This glossary collects core terms from the AI compliance pages. The third column shows where each term is most relevant.

TermDefinitionWhere used
AI Management System (AIMS)A systematic management framework for responsible development, implementation, and use of AI in an organisation. It follows the High-Level Structure known from standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001.
Annex A Controls (ISO/IEC 42001)38 control objectives across 9 control areas that specify operational AI governance requirements. Their application is justified in the Statement of Applicability on a risk basis.
Annex III (EU AI Act)The list of standalone high-risk AI categories under the EU AI Act. For financial institutions, creditworthiness assessment, life and health underwriting, and HR decisions are particularly relevant.
Automation biasA cognitive bias: the tendency to accept automated system outputs without sufficient challenge. It can weaken human oversight and should be addressed through training, sampling, and clear override rights.
DeployerThe organisation that uses an AI system under its own responsibility. Deployers are distinct from providers and have separate compliance duties under Art. 26 EU AI Act.
CEN/CENELECEuropean standardisation organisations that develop harmonised standards under EU mandates. In the AI context, they are relevant for European standards under the EU AI Act.
Conformity assessmentThe procedure used to demonstrate that a high-risk AI system meets the EU AI Act requirements. Depending on the system, this may be a self-assessment or involve a notified body.
Digital Omnibus (May 2026)Political agreement of 7 May 2026 to simplify the AI Act. Some high-risk deadlines may move; Art. 5 and Art. 4 are not affected. Formal legal adoption still needs to be checked.
CSRD / ESRS bias relevanceAI-related discrimination or human-rights risks can also matter for sustainability reporting when they affect social impacts, governance, due diligence, risk management, or auditable metrics.
FRIA (Art. 27 EU AI Act)Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment: an impact assessment for certain deployers of high-risk AI, especially creditworthiness assessment and life or health insurance risk assessment, before use.
Gap analysisA structured comparison between the current state and the requirements of a standard or regulation. The result is a prioritised list of gaps and actions.
Harmonised standardA standard developed by CEN/CENELEC and published in the Official Journal of the EU. For specified requirements, it can create a presumption of conformity.
High-Level Structure (HLS)The common chapter structure of modern ISO management system standards. It helps integrate ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO/IEC 42001 into one management system.
Presumption of conformityA legal presumption that requirements are met when a harmonised standard is applied. The concrete effect depends on the relevant standard and its publication.
New Legislative Framework (NLF)EU regulatory model: legislation defines essential requirements, while harmonised standards specify practical implementation. It is the basis for CE marking and conformity assessment.
prEN 18286European standard under development for AI Quality Management Systems in the context of the EU AI Act. It is relevant as a possible future harmonised standard.
Statement of Applicability (SoA)A document listing all ISO/IEC 42001 Annex A controls and explaining for each control whether and how it is applied or excluded.
Vendor AI / Shadow AIAI components in purchased software or unapproved tools that have not been explicitly identified, classified, or approved. They are a central source of shadow AI risk.
WEIRD biasSystematic bias in machine-learning models caused by training data from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic contexts. It can lead to structural disadvantage.
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Notice: This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Content reflects the state of June 2026 and may change with new legislation, standards, or regulatory guidance.