Article 55: Obligations for Providers of GPAI Models with Systemic Risk

Providers of systemic-risk GPAI models must, in addition to Article 53 baseline duties:

(a) Model evaluation including adversarial testing: - Perform model evaluation in accordance with standardised protocols and tools reflecting the state of the art, including conducting and documenting adversarial testing of the model - Purpose: identify and mitigate systemic risks

(b) Assess and mitigate systemic risks: - Assess and mitigate possible systemic risks at Union level, including their sources, that may stem from the development, placing on the market, or use of the model - The assessment must be proportionate to the model's capabilities

(c) Serious incident reporting: - Track, document, and report to the AI Office and, where relevant, national competent authorities, serious incidents and possible corrective measures to address them - Without undue delay after the provider becomes aware

(d) Cybersecurity protection: - Ensure an adequate level of cybersecurity protection for the model and its physical infrastructure

Until harmonised standards are adopted, providers may demonstrate compliance with Article 55 obligations through adherence to codes of practice under Article 56. The AI Office facilitates the drawing up of these codes. Where a provider does not adhere to a code of practice, they must demonstrate alternative adequate means of compliance to the satisfaction of the AI Office.

Codes of practice are not binding law but create a practical safe harbour: following them shifts the burden of proof to the authority to show non-compliance.

• Article 51 — Classification criteria that trigger Article 55 duties.
• Article 52 — Procedure for systemic-risk designation.
• Article 53 — Baseline GPAI obligations (Article 55 adds to, not replaces, these).
• Article 56 — Codes of practice as compliance pathway.
• Annex XI Section 2 — Documentation requirements for evaluation strategies, adversarial testing, and system architecture.
• Annex XIII — Criteria for systemic-risk classification (the triggers).
• Article 64 — AI Office powers for enforcement and requesting information.
• Article 101 — Penalties for GPAI providers.
• Article 113 — Application dates (Chapter V from 2 August 2025).

1. In addition to the obligations listed in Articles 53 and 54, providers of general-purpose AI models with systemic risk shall:

(a) perform model evaluation in accordance with standardised protocols and tools reflecting the state of the art, including conducting and documenting adversarial testing of the model with a view to identifying and mitigating systemic risks;

(b) assess and mitigate possible systemic risks at Union level, including their sources, that may stem from the development, the placing on the market, or the use of general-purpose AI models with systemic risk;

(c) keep track of, document, and report, without undue delay, to the AI Office and, as appropriate, to national competent authorities, relevant information about serious incidents and possible corrective measures to address them;

(d) ensure an adequate level of cybersecurity protection for the general-purpose AI model with systemic risk and the physical infrastructure of the model.

2. Providers of general-purpose AI models with systemic risk may rely on codes of practice within the meaning of Article 56 to demonstrate compliance with the obligations set out in paragraph 1 of this Article, until a harmonised standard is published. Compliance with European harmonised standards grants providers the presumption of conformity to the extent that those standards cover those obligations. Providers of general-purpose AI models with systemic risks who do not adhere to an approved code of practice or do not comply with a European harmonised standard shall demonstrate alternative adequate means of compliance for assessment by the Commission.

3. Any information or documentation obtained pursuant to this Article, including trade secrets, shall be treated in accordance with the confidentiality obligations set out in Article 78.

The recitals in the same consolidated AI Act on EUR-Lex contextualise systemic-risk mitigation, adversarial testing, red teaming, incident reporting, and cybersecurity for frontier models. Use the official preamble on EUR-Lex—do not rely on unofficial recital lists without checking sequence and wording against the authentic text.