Defining AI Models and AI Systems: A Framework to Resolve the Boundary Problem

ArXi:2603.10023v1 Announce Type: cross Emerging AI regulations assign distinct obligations to different actors along the AI value chain (e.g., the EU AI Act distinguishes providers and deployers for both AI models and AI systems), yet the foundational terms "AI model" and "AI system" lack clear, consistent definitions. Through a systematic review of 896 academic papers and a manual review of over 80 regulatory, standards, and technical or policy documents, we analyze existing definitions from multiple conceptual perspectives.