Article 13 requires providers of high-risk AI systems to design and develop those systems with a sufficient degree of transparency so that deployers can understand the system's outputs and use them appropriately. Transparency under Article 13 is distinct from the end-user transparency obligations under Article 50.
Instructions for Use
Article 13(3) specifies what must be included in the instructions for use (IFU) that providers must supply to deployers. The IFU must cover: the identity and contact details of the provider; characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of the system; performance levels on different groups (including potential biases and affected persons); intended purpose and conditions under which the system is expected to perform accurately; any known or foreseeable circumstances that may affect performance; human oversight measures; expected lifetime and maintenance requirements; and a description of the data governance practices.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Article 13(1)
“High-risk AI systems shall be designed and developed in such a way as to ensure that their operation is sufficiently transparent to enable deployers to interpret the system's output and use it appropriately. An appropriate type and degree of transparency shall be ensured, with a view to achieving compliance with the relevant obligations of the deployer and provider set out in this Section.”
- Transparency under Article 13 targets deployers, not end users -- Article 50 covers end users
- Instructions for use must be in a language understood by deployers in the target market
- Article 13(3)(b) requires disclosure of performance levels across different groups and contexts
- Accuracy metrics and known limitations must be clearly communicated in the IFU
- The IFU forms part of the technical documentation required under Annex IV