---
title: "Right to explanation (AI Act Art. 86)"
description: "The right of a person affected by a deployer's decision based on an Annex III high-risk system's output, with legal or similarly significant adverse effects, to clear and meaningful explanations of…"
canonical: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/right-to-explanation-ai-act-art-86
author: "Jorge García Aibar"
license: "CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)"
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197
version: "0.5.0"
updated: 2026-09-25
---

# Right to explanation (AI Act Art. 86)

The right of a person affected by a deployer's decision based on an Annex III high-risk system's output, with legal or similarly significant adverse effects, to clear and meaningful explanations of the system's role and the main elements of the decision, where Union law does not already provide it [1].

- Developed in: [ch. 18, Explanation and notice to affected people](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/eu-ai-act#explanation-and-notice-to-affected-people)
- Chapters: [ch. 16, Fairness & XAI](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/fairness-and-explainability) · [ch. 18, EU AI Act](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/eu-ai-act) · [ch. 19, Privacy & AI](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/privacy-and-ai)
- Contrast with: [Explainability](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/explainability)
- In the glossary chapter: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/glossary#t-right-to-explanation-ai-act-art-86

## Sources

[1] Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), consolidated text as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI, in force 27 Jul 2026; definitions in Art. 3, incl. 3(1), 3(3) to 3(14), 3(14b), 3(20), 3(22), 3(23), 3(29) to 3(32), 3(49), 3(55) to 3(57), 3(60), 3(61), 3(63), 3(68); Arts. 4, 5, 6 (incl. 6(3) third subparagraph, profiling), 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 22 to 27 (incl. 26(11)), 40, 41, 43, 47, 48, 50, 53 (incl. 53(1)(c)), 55, 57, 60, 72, 73, 86; Annexes I, III, IV). Publications Office of the EU (EUR-Lex). 2026-07-27. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/2026-07-27/eng (verified: primary)