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Evidence starter

AI System Inventory Template for the EU AI Act

Start the register before the risk assessment turns into guesswork. This free AI system inventory template helps you capture the systems, owners, vendors, role assumptions, Annex III signals, Article 50 triggers, oversight owners, and evidence locations in one controlled place.

Free · No login · Local download · Last reviewed 2026-04-27

EU AI Act AI System Inventory Template XLSX

Professional Excel worksheet with Start Here, Dashboard, AI system inventory, lookups, sources, and review notes.

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AI system inventory field guide

Plain field guide for each column in the register.

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What this template captures

A useful AI inventory does one job first: it stops the team from arguing from memory. It shows where AI is being used, who owns the use case, which vendor or model is involved, whether Annex III or Article 50 may be in play, and where the evidence lives. Keep it simple at the start. A bloated register dies quickly.

FieldPurpose
AI system IDUnique reference for the AI use case or system.
AI system namePlain business name used internally.
Business ownerAccountable process or business owner.
Technical ownerSystem owner, engineering owner, or vendor manager.
Provider or vendorInternal build, external vendor, open-source model, or mixed stack.
Role assessmentProvider, deployer, importer, distributor, product manufacturer, or unclear.
Intended purposeThe purpose the system is designed or used for.
User groupEmployees, customers, citizens, patients, applicants, students, or other affected persons.
Sector / processHR, credit, insurance, healthcare, education, biometrics, public services, security, or other.
Data categoriesPersonal data, special-category data, operational data, synthetic data, public data, or mixed data.
Automated decision impactAdvisory only, decision support, automated recommendation, automated decision, or unclear.
Annex III relevanceNo obvious Annex III trigger, potential trigger, confirmed trigger, or needs legal review.
Article 50 transparency triggerChatbot, content generation, deepfake, emotion recognition, biometric categorisation, or none identified.
FRIA triggerNo, likely no, possible, likely yes, or legal review needed.
Human oversight ownerNamed person or role responsible for review, intervention, and escalation.
Logs and evidence locationWhere usage records, model cards, vendor docs, approvals, and oversight logs are retained.
StatusDiscovery, pilot, production, suspended, retired, or banned.
Last reviewedDate of last classification and evidence review.
Next actionClassify, request vendor evidence, run FRIA, add notice, improve oversight, or retire.

How to use it

  1. Start with approved systems, pilots, and suspected shadow AI. Leave nothing in someone’s head.
  2. Assign a business owner and a technical owner before debating the legal label.
  3. Use the register to decide what needs classification, FRIA review, Article 50 notice review, vendor evidence, tighter oversight, or retirement.
  4. Review it monthly while the inventory is immature. Move to quarterly only after owners and review dates stop slipping.

FAQ

Is this a full compliance register?

No. It is the intake layer. Use it before role classification, high-risk analysis, FRIA, vendor review, and evidence planning.

Should shadow AI tools be included?

Yes. Include approved systems and suspected shadow AI. Mark uncertain entries clearly. A messy entry is still better than an invisible system.

Related EU AI Compass assets

Source and review note

This page is an educational evidence starter. It is not legal advice and does not confirm compliance. Review the official text of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 and obtain qualified legal review before relying on any template for a formal compliance decision.