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AI Governance Retention Deadline Planner

The AI Governance Retention Deadline Planner calculates a future retention date for AI governance records from a selected start date and retention period. It can be used for logs, technical documentation, assessment records, approvals, monitoring evidence, or other governance artifacts when the governing requirement has already been identified.

The default is six months because the EU AI Act sets at least a six-month period for logs automatically generated by certain high-risk AI systems when those logs are under a deployer’s control, unless another applicable Union or national law provides otherwise. That is not a universal retention period for every AI record: providers of high-risk AI systems can face substantially longer documentation obligations, and sector or privacy rules may also control. Change the input to the period that actually applies to the record you are managing.

Calculator inputs

months
days
Result
—
Calculated AI record retention deadline
Retention deadline—
Days remaining—
Selected retention—
Additional hold—

1. Choose the record date

Enter the event that starts the retention period for the record you are tracking, such as creation, system use, or another rule-defined event.

2. Set the governing period

Keep the six-month default only when it matches the applicable rule and record type; otherwise enter the required number of months.

3. Add an approved hold

Enter any additional hold days that must extend the ordinary retention period.

4. Review the calculated date

The result adds whole calendar months first and then adds the extra hold days.

5. Validate the rule before deletion

Check the organization’s role, system classification, sector requirements, privacy law, contract terms, and any investigation or litigation hold before disposing of the record.

Retention deadline = Record date + Retention months + Additional hold days; Days remaining = Retention deadline − Today

Where:

  • Record date: the date from which the selected retention period runs
  • Retention months: whole calendar months required by the chosen rule or policy
  • Additional hold days: extra days added for an approved extension or hold
  • Today: the browser’s current local date used for the countdown

Assumptions: The six-month default is a reference point for certain EU AI Act deployer-controlled high-risk-system logs, not a universal AI governance rule. Other records and provider obligations can have different or longer periods.

What the result means

The result is the date reached after applying the selected retention period and any additional hold to the starting date.

AI record-retention requirements vary by role, record type, system risk, and jurisdiction. Verify the applicable rule before disposal.

Given:

  • Record date: September 30, 2026
  • Retention period: 6 months
  • Additional hold: 45 days

Calculation:

Six calendar months after September 30, 2026 = March 30, 2027

Add 45 days = May 14, 2027

Result: Calculated retention deadline: May 14, 2027.

Interpretation: The date is valid only for the rule and record type represented by the entered six-month period and 45-day extension.

Why is six months the default?

The EU AI Act requires deployers of high-risk AI systems to keep automatically generated logs under their control for a period appropriate to the intended purpose and at least six months, unless other applicable law provides otherwise.

Do providers of high-risk AI systems also use six months?

Not necessarily. The EU AI Act contains separate provider documentation-retention obligations, including a 10-year period for specified documentation after a high-risk AI system is placed on the market or put into service.

Should personal data always be kept until the AI retention date?

No. Data-protection rules can impose necessity, proportionality, and storage-limitation requirements. The record should be retained only under a valid, applicable basis and schedule.

What does a negative days-remaining value mean?

It means the modeled deadline is earlier than today. It does not automatically authorize deletion or prove noncompliance; confirm the actual schedule and any holds first.

Can I use this for internal model documentation that is not legally regulated?

Yes as a policy planner. Enter the organization’s approved retention period and document the event that starts the clock so the schedule is applied consistently.