Annex IV (Technical Documentation)
EU AI Act — what the technical documentation has to contain
TL;DR
Annex IV (Art. 11) is the concrete content guideline for the technical documentation that every provider of a high-risk AI system must keep and produce on request.
What is Annex IV (technical documentation)?
Annex IV officially lists 9 numbered mandatory points (1–9); points 1 and 2 each have sub-points (a)–(h): 1) a general description of the AI system (including its intended purpose, the provider, the version, interaction with hardware and software, the hardware concerned, instructions for use), 2) a detailed description of the elements of the system and of the process for its development (including development methods, design specifications, system architecture, data requirements, human oversight measures, validation and testing procedures, cybersecurity measures), 3) monitoring, functioning and control of the system, 4) the appropriateness of the performance metrics, 5) the risk management system (Art. 9), 6) relevant changes made through the lifecycle, 7) the harmonised standards applied, 8) a copy of the EU declaration of conformity (Art. 47), 9) the system in place to evaluate performance after the system is placed on the market (Art. 72).
Germany and Austria: Annex IV is part of the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) and applies equally in Germany and Austria — directly applicable EU law that applies in identical wording in both jurisdictions without national transposition.
Practical example
A manufacturer of HR AI documents roughly 50-100 pages of technical documentation. Retention: 10 years after the system is placed on the market.