2.5 · Sector-Specific Regulatory ConsiderationsDownload
Course 2 Key Takeaways
⏱ 5 minCourse 02
A summary of the essential frameworks, principles, and action points from Course 2 — AI Governance, Compliance & Regulatory Strategy.
Course 2 Key Takeaways
The EU AI Act
- ◆The law is in force — prohibited practices have been enforceable since February 2025
- ◆Classification is everything: prohibited → high-risk → limited risk → minimal risk
- ◆High-risk AI requires: risk management, technical documentation, transparency, human oversight, conformity assessment, and EU database registration
- ◆Fines up to €35M or 7% of global turnover — higher than GDPR
GDPR & AI
- ◆Every AI system processing personal data is a GDPR system
- ◆Training data needs its own lawful basis — you cannot assume consent from the original collection
- ◆Article 22 applies to solely automated decisions with significant effects — "rubber stamp" human review does not satisfy it
- ◆DPIAs are mandatory for most AI systems processing personal data at scale
- ◆The right to erasure creates a technical challenge for trained models — plan for this before training
Internal Governance
- ◆Start with inventory, not policy
- ◆Your AI Register is the foundation of everything — it must be current and complete
- ◆Every system needs a named Business DRI and Technical DRI
- ◆Governance must be a process embedded in how new AI is deployed, not a document that gets reviewed annually
Accountability & Explainability
- ◆As an AI deployer, you bear liability for what your AI systems do — even if someone else built them
- ◆Document your due diligence: it is your legal defence
- ◆Explainability must be case-specific, plain-language, and genuinely faithful to the model's logic
- ◆Post-hoc explanations (SHAP, LIME) may not satisfy regulatory requirements without additional design-time explainability measures
Sector-Specific Compliance
- ◆Horizontal frameworks (AI Act, GDPR) stack on top of sector-specific regulation — they do not replace it
- ◆Financial services: AI Act + DORA + Consumer Duty + PRA model risk + EBA guidance
- ◆Healthcare: AI Act + MDR/IVDR + MHRA/EMA guidance + GDPR (special category data)
- ◆Map your full regulatory stack before building your compliance programme
