Abstract

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonized rules on artificial intelligence (hereinafter: the AI Act) does not define the concept of synthetic data, even though it uses this term in several areas of the regulation. This article proposes a definition of the concept based on the achievements of machine learning and data science. Simultaneously, it contrasts the term “synthetic data” with the concept of synthetic content introduced by the AI Act. The publication provides an analysis of the quality requirements for synthetic data in high-risk systems (Article 10 of the AI Act). It also discusses the issue of transparency for systems that use synthetic data in the light of Article 13 of the AI Act.