How the EU AI Act and GDPR Overlap

The AI Act and GDPR are separate regulations that may apply at the same time. The AI Act classifies certain systems and uses, assigns obligations to roles such as provider and deployer, and sets requirements that depend on risk and system function. GDPR applies when personal data is processed and regulates the controller’s and processor’s responsibilities, lawful processing, data-subject rights, security, and accountability. A system can fall within one law, both, or neither, depending on facts and scope. Suppose an employer uses a high-risk AI system to help screen job applications. The AI Act may impose provider requirements for the system and specific duties on the employer as deployer. GDPR questions remain separate: what is the legal basis for processing applicants’ data, what information must be provided, how long is data retained, who can access it, and can the system’s decision-making trigger Article 22? A high-risk classification under the AI Act does not itself establish a GDPR legal basis or prove that an automated decision is lawful. GDPR Article 22 concerns a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that produces legal effects or similarly significantly affects a person, subject to the article’s conditions and exceptions. Where an exception applies, safeguards are required in specified cases. Human involvement must be real if it is relied on to distinguish a decision from one made solely automatically; a nominal review step may not resolve the legal question. The details and supervisory interpretations matter. The AI Act also preserves the application of personal-data protection law. Its requirements can support responsible design and use, but they do not replace GDPR principles such as purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, and security. Conversely, GDPR compliance does not automatically establish conformity with AI Act requirements. Organizations should maintain a combined assessment that traces each processing activity, regulated role, system category, and decision pathway to its distinct legal obligations.