The FRIAct is a new tool for assessing the impact of AI systems on fundamental rights. Based on the legal framework of the AI Act, it provides a two-pronged approach integrating qualitative and quantitative tools for assessing risks to fundamental rights.
The qualitative tool, referred to as the Questionnaire, is designed to gather contextual and operational insights of the AI system, including its purpose, affected populations, technical characteristics, and the broader societal and ethical implications of its deployment. It evaluates risks producing a Questionnaire Risk Indicator (QRI) that serves as the foundation for further analysis. The Matrix, on the other hand, adds an assessment specifically designed to produce a quantitative output: this purpose is achieved by systematically mapping potential qualitative impacts on specific rights and then attributing a quantitative score to those impacts – this is why we also refer to the Matrix’ outcomes as semi-quantitative ones. It evaluates risks based on two key dimensions – Severity and Probability of Occurrence – and calculates Impact Significance (IS) scores for each right as outlined in the CFREU.
The FRIAct incorporates both the Questionnaire and the Matrix to generate FRIAct Scores, a final output that quantifies the system’s overall risk to each fundamental right. Both Questionnaire and Matrix are relevant in the phase of pre-deployment and monitoring. This design ensures flexibility, enabling its application across diverse AI systems and use cases while maintaining alignment with the AI Act’s regulatory requirements.
Access to the tool:
FRIAct Pre-deployment FRIAct Post-deployment
More on the FRIAct:
Assessing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Systems on Fundamental Rights
Annexes:
3) Guidelines for the compilation of the matrix
