The Statement of Business Intent is the foundational artefact for the system’s compliance documentation. It captures the precise articulation of what the system is intended to achieve, for whom, and within what constraints, as described in Article 106. The signed version represents the Business Owner’s formal approval of the intent and its alignment with the organisation’s values, the EU AI Act’s requirements, and the fundamental rights of affected persons.

This artefact should include the system’s intended purpose in specific, measurable terms; the target beneficiaries and affected persons; the constraints within which the system operates (including the prohibited outcomes from Article 107 and the ethical framework from Article 108); and the transparency commitments from Article 109. The Business Owner’s signature confirms that the intent has been assessed and approved through the governance process.

The signed Statement of Business Intent serves as the reference point against which subsequent design decisions are measured throughout the system’s lifecycle. It feeds into AISDP Module 1 and forms part of the evidence pack for the conformity assessment. Any material change to the business intent requires a new governance approval and a reassessment of whether the change constitutes a substantial modification.

Key outputs

• Signed Statement of Business Intent
• Business Owner approval record
• Module 1 AISDP entry