The European Commission has released its much‑anticipated draft guidance to clarify how AI systems should be classified as “high‑risk” under the EU AI Act, and has launched a public consultation open through June 23, 2026. The guidance is designed to assist AI providers, deployers, and other stakeholders in determining whether a system qualifies as high‑risk—such as those used in safety‑critical applications or those that could impact health, safety, or fundamental rights. It includes practical examples across domains like HR systems, credit decisioning, and predictive profiling to illustrate classification criteria. The publication comes after repeated delays; the guidance was initially expected in February 2026 but only materialized on May 19–20. The consultation invites input from a broad range of actors, including developers, public authorities, civil society, and the general public. The guidance also outlines the updated enforcement timeline: rules for standalone high‑risk systems will take effect on December 2, 2027, while those embedded in products such as robotics and industrial machinery will apply from August 2, 2028. This step marks a critical move toward operationalizing the EU AI Act’s high‑risk framework and providing clarity to the AI ecosystem.