Internal Deployment in the EU AI Act

This memorandum analyzes and stress-tests arguments in favor and against the inclusion of internal deployment within the scope of the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act). In doing so, it aims to offer several possible interpretative pathways to the European Commission, AI providers and deployers, and the legal and policy community at large based on Articles 2(1), 2(6), 2(8) of the EU AI Act. Specifically, this memorandum first analyzes four interpretative pathways based on Article 2(1)(a)-(c) supporting the application of the EU AI Act to internally deployed AI models and systems. Then, it examines possible objections and exceptions based on Articles 2(1)(a), 2(6), and 2(8), with particular attention to the complexity of the scientific R&D exception under Article 2(6). Finally, it illustrates how Articles 2(1), 2(6), and 2(8) can be viewed as complementary to each other, once broken down to their most plausible meaning and interpreted in conjunction with Articles 3(1), 3(3), 3(4), 3(9), 3(10), 3(11), 3(12), 3(63), and Recitals 12, 13, 21, 25, 97, and 109.