Sample · Volume 1

Purpose and structure

This handbook is addressed to the management of small and medium-sized enterprises which use, or intend to use, generally available AI tools in their business — without an IT department of their own and without prior technical training.

It answers four questions, in this order: what does the term “artificial intelligence” denote, and which tools are available? What operational benefit can they provide, and where do their limits lie? By what routes can they be integrated into an existing business? And which legal and normative requirements are to be observed in doing so?

The order has been chosen deliberately. Accounts of this subject area frequently begin with the regulatory framework and thereby lose their connection to operational practice. The legal part comes last here, but is dealt with in detail and with references.

Structure

This handbook is divided into four parts. Part I deals with the term, a market overview and the capability and limits of the technology. Part II describes fields of application, integration stages and a procedure for introduction. Part III sets out the legal and standards framework. Part IV contains an instrument for maturity self-assessment as well as a glossary, delimitations and the list of sources.

Scope

The governing legal framework is the law of the European Union, in particular the Artificial Intelligence Act and the General Data Protection Regulation. Both apply directly in all Member States. Where implementation or supervision is arranged differently from one Member State to another, this is stated, without presenting individual States in full.

In addition, Section 13 deals with internationally recognised standards and frameworks which serve as a common point of reference irrespective of the State of establishment. For companies outside the Union, the territorial scope of the AI Act is also of significance; it is dealt with in Section 9.5.

Handling of sources

Every figure, every time limit and every legal statement is supported by a source and an access date. Source lines appear immediately beneath the statement in question; the complete list is found in Section 19.

Where a statement could not be substantiated, this is expressly noted — as not determinable, with the reason given, and not as an estimate. These points are marked by boxes with a dashed border and are summarised in Section 17. A handbook that smooths over unresolved legal questions is less useful than one that names the gap.

A distinction is drawn throughout between settled law, official interpretative guidance and expert interpretation. Non-binding guidelines are identified as such.