Screening for prohibited AI uses

What the rule is

Some AI uses are simply off-limits. They are prohibited because the harm they cause is too great to manage with controls.

Common prohibited uses include:

• Social scoring, where people are ranked by general behaviour.
• Real-time biometric surveillance of people in public spaces.
• Subliminal manipulation that pushes people to act against their interests.

These prohibitions come from Article 5 of the EU AI Act. DIFC Regulation 10 reaches them through a cross-walk to its own prohibited uses. So you screen against the EU AI Act Article 5 list, applied via the DIFC framework.

The duty is to screen each system and document the result. Even a clean result must be recorded. You want to be able to show you checked and that no system crosses the line.

One honest caution: meeting EU rules does not discharge your DIFC duties. EU conformity is not a free pass. You still owe the full set of Regulation 10 obligations in the DIFC.

Why it matters

A prohibited use is the most serious category of risk. Running one is not a gap to fix later; it is a line you must not cross.

The DIFC Commissioner will expect to see that you screened for prohibited uses and recorded the outcome. A missing screen looks like you never checked. Where a prohibited use harms people, the case for a private right of action in the DIFC Courts is strong.

How to comply

1. List your AI systems and what each one actually does.
2. Screen each against the Article 5 prohibited-use categories.
3. Record the result for every system, clean or not.
4. Stop or redesign any system that crosses the line.
5. Re-screen after major changes, and do not assume EU conformity is enough.

How regulation10.ae helps

regulation10.ae runs each system through the Article 5 prohibited-use categories and stores the result as evidence for assessment. It flags any system that needs a closer look by your ASO. You get a clear, dated record that you screened and acted, linked to your AI System Register.

Run your first screen with the free readiness assessment, or see our plans.