AI Act

What is the AI Act?

The AI Act is the EU regulation governing AI systems. It entered into force on August 1, 2024, but the specific obligations apply in phases. Through the Digital Omnibus, finally approved at the end of June 2026, the deadlines for High-Risk AI were postponed: standalone systems under Annex III do not have to comply until December 2, 2027, while AI embedded in regulated products under Annex I does not have to comply until August 2, 2028. The transparency obligations under Article 50, however, remain on the original date of August 2, 2026.

How it is structured

The AI Act classifies AI systems according to risk levels—from prohibited practices and High-Risk AI to systems with minimal risk. The specific obligations depend on this classification and on the respective role—for example, whether a company places a system on the market under its own name or puts it into service under its own responsibility.

Why the AI Act can also affect companies outside the EU

The AI Act applies throughout the EU and beyond. Providers outside the EU must also comply if their AI systems are used in the EU or if their outputs are used in the EU.

Why the AI Act has practical implications

• The obligations depend on the role—Provider or Deployer—and on the risk classification of the respective system.
• Not every AI system is automatically High-Risk AI—the classification depends in particular on the product areas covered by Annex I and the use cases covered by Annex III.
• Many companies need to understand the AI Act even though they do not develop AI themselves but only deploy it.

Further reading

Related terms

→ High-Risk AI
→ General-Purpose AI
→ Provider
→ Deployer
→ Digital Omnibus