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Article 5: Prohibited AI practices
Praxikon tracks Article 5 (Prohibited AI practices) under the EU AI Act, citing the source for every statement.
EU Official:
ActiveIn force since 2 Feb 2025
Title II: Prohibited AI PracticesApplies from: 2 February 2025
Article 5 prohibits manipulative AI techniques, exploitation of vulnerabilities, social scoring by governments, real-time biometric identification in public spaces (with exceptions), and emotion recognition in the workplace and education.
Official text
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Source: EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. Text reproduced verbatim.
Download AI Act (PDF) →Official guidance on this article
5- Guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems under Article 50 of the AI ActDelineates where transparency obligations end and prohibited practices under Article 5 begin, for example in misleading or manipulative applications and in emotion recognition at the workplace or in education.PublishedGuidelinesEuropean Commission20 Jul 2026
- Commission Guidelines on prohibited artificial intelligence practices established by Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act)For each prohibition ground in Article 5, specifies which elements must cumulatively be demonstrated and what exceptions apply, so that organisations can determine whether their application falls under a prohibition.PublishedGuidelinesEuropean Commission (DG CONNECT / AI Office)4 Feb 2025
- AI Regulation timeline (Algoritmekader)Places the phasing out of prohibited AI on 2 February 2025 as the first hard deadline for every organisation.PublishedNational guidanceMinistry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Algorithm Framework)17 Jul 2025
- Supervision of AI takes shape: key role for the AP and the RDIAnnounces that the AP becomes the designated supervisory authority for prohibited AI practices such as manipulative AI, which have been prohibited since 2 February 2025.PublishedNational guidanceDutch Data Protection Authority (AP), Algorithm Coordination Directorate20 Apr 2026
- Response of the President of the Administrative Jurisdiction Division to the draft AI Regulation Implementation ActSignals a question of competence when it is unclear whether a system is prohibited or high-risk, because the draft legislation designates different supervisory authorities for these matters.PublishedOpinionCouncil of State, Administrative Jurisdiction Division8 Jul 2026
What does this mean for you?
Provider+
As a provider, you may not place AI systems on the market that use manipulative techniques, exploit vulnerabilities, or apply social scoring. Review your AI portfolio for these prohibited applications before 2 February 2025.
Deployer+
As a deployer, you may not use prohibited AI systems. Verify that your suppliers confirm their systems do not fall under prohibited categories. Pay specific attention to emotion recognition in the workplace.
SME / Startup+
Even as a small business, the prohibitions apply in full. Most SMEs will not be affected, but check whether you use AI for customer segmentation or employee assessment — these may fall under the prohibitions.
Public Sector+
Public authorities may not deploy social scoring systems. Real-time biometric identification in public spaces is prohibited, except in strictly defined law enforcement exceptions.
Related recitals
Recital 29Primary
AI-enabled manipulative techniques can be used to persuade persons to engage in unwanted behaviours, or to deceive them by nudging them into decisions in a way that subverts and impairs their autonomy…
Recital 30Primary
Biometric categorisation systems that are based on natural persons’ biometric data, such as an individual person’s face or fingerprint, to deduce or infer an individuals’ political opinions, trade uni…
Recital 31Primary
AI systems providing social scoring of natural persons by public or private actors may lead to discriminatory outcomes and the exclusion of certain groups. They may violate the right to dignity and no…
Recital 32Primary
The use of AI systems for ‘real-time’ remote biometric identification of natural persons in publicly accessible spaces for the purpose of law enforcement is particularly intrusive to the rights and fr…
Related tools
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Related blog posts
Cross-references
Annexes
Frequently asked questions
Which AI practices are prohibited under the AI Act?+
Article 5 prohibits manipulative AI techniques, exploitation of vulnerabilities, social scoring by governments, real-time biometric identification in public spaces (with exceptions), and emotion recognition in the workplace and education.
What are the penalties for prohibited AI practices?+
Violations of Article 5 can result in fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher.
Since when do the prohibited AI practices apply?+
The prohibitions in Article 5 have been in force since 2 February 2025.
Which AI applications have been prohibited since February 2025?+
Since 2 February 2025, the following are prohibited: manipulative and deceptive AI, exploitation of vulnerable groups, social scoring, predictive policing based on personality traits, untargeted scraping of facial images, emotion recognition in the workplace and education, and biometric categorisation based on sensitive characteristics.
Can I still use emotion recognition in my company?+
Emotion recognition in the workplace and education is prohibited under Article 5. Emotion recognition is allowed in other contexts, but is then classified as high-risk AI under Annex III and must comply with strict requirements.
Is social scoring by companies also prohibited or only by governments?+
The prohibition on social scoring applies to both public authorities and private organisations. Article 5 prohibits AI systems that assess or classify persons based on social behaviour or personality traits, if this leads to detrimental or unfavourable treatment that is unjustified.
How do I know if my AI system falls under prohibited practices?+
Check whether your AI system touches any of the eight prohibited categories in Article 5. Pay specific attention to manipulative techniques, exploitation of vulnerable groups, biometric applications and emotion recognition. When in doubt, a legal review is advisable, as violations carry the highest fine category (up to 7% turnover).
What is the difference between prohibited AI and high-risk AI?+
Prohibited AI (Article 5) may not be used in the EU at all — there is no way to be compliant. High-risk AI (Article 6) may be used, but only if strict requirements around risk management, transparency, data governance, human oversight and more are met.