Art. 15 Request for assistance of the AI Office | Scientific panel of independent experts | AI act

This article sets out the conditions and formal requirements that govern how the scientific panel can request assistance from the AI Office in obtaining documentation or information from providers of general-purpose AI models.

It directly connects to Article 91(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, which provides the legal basis for the Commission to issue such requests.

The article establishes that this mechanism is not open to individual panel members acting alone, but requires a collective threshold of support within the panel, and imposes clear substantive requirements on what the request must demonstrate.

Important points:

Only the appointed rapporteur may submit a request for assistance to the AI Office, and only where at least one third of the scientific panel's members have authorised it.
The request must clearly identify the rapporteur and contributors, state its purpose, and substantiate both that the task cannot be carried out without the assistance and that the information requested does not exceed what is necessary.
Throughout the process, due regard must be given to the protection of trade secrets and confidential business information of general-purpose AI model providers.

1. Where the scientific panel requests, in accordance with Article 91(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the Commission to issue a request for documentation or information to a provider of general-purpose AI models and to grant access to the information received to the extent this is necessary and proportionate for the fulfilment of a task referred to in Article 68(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (‘request for assistance’), due regard shall be given to the need to protect trade secrets and confidential business information.
1. A request for assistance may be issued to the AI Office by the member of the scientific panel who has been appointed by the Secretariat as rapporteur for a task of the scientific panel. Such a request shall only be made where at least one third of the members of the scientific panel have authorised the rapporteur to do so.
1. The request for assistance shall clearly state the name of the requesting rapporteur and contributors and the purpose of the requested assistance and shall only be made for the fulfilment of the tasks of the scientific panel under Article 68(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. To demonstrate the necessity and proportionality of such a request, as required by Article 91(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the request shall substantiate:
  1. that a refusal to grant the requested assistance will prevent the requesting rapporteur from carrying out his or her task referred to in Article 68(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689;
  2. that the amount, scope, granularity and type of documentation and information requested does not exceed what is necessary to achieve performance of the task.

Article 15 Request for assistance of the AI Office

Relevant recitals