EU AI Act Annex III High-Risk Use Cases

Annex III of the EU AI Act lists specified AI system uses that are high-risk under Article 6(2). Its eight headings are biometrics; critical infrastructure; education and vocational training; employment and worker management; access to essential private or public services and benefits; law enforcement; migration, asylum and border management; and administration of justice and democratic processes. The list identifies particular intended uses rather than making every AI system in those sectors high-risk. Representative examples include certain remote biometric identification; school admission or learning-outcome evaluation; recruitment or worker-performance decisions; public-benefit eligibility and consumer creditworthiness; specified police evidence or risk assessment; and asylum, visa, judicial-assistance, or election-influence tools. Each Annex III point has its own actors, purpose, exceptions, and conditions. One-to-one biometric verification used only to confirm a person’s claimed identity is expressly excluded from the listed remote-identification category. Article 6(3) provides a narrow exception for an Annex III system that creates no significant risk and performs one of the specified limited functions, such as a narrow procedural task. A system that profiles natural persons remains high-risk under that paragraph. A provider concluding that a system is not high-risk must document the assessment and meet the applicable registration duty. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 changed the implementation calendar. The main Chapter III requirements for Article 6(2)/Annex III systems apply from December 2, 2027; the Article 6(1)/Annex I route applies from August 2, 2028. The amendment changed timing, not the Annex III headings. Check the consolidated Act and current guidance for a specific use. This guide is informational, not legal advice.