AI law and regulation concept
The EU AI Act explained
ReferenceWhat is the EU AI Act? It is an EU regulation setting common rules for artificial intelligence, with obligations that depend on the system’s risk and the role of the people or organisations involved. It covers prohibited practices, high-risk systems, certain transparency duties and general-purpose AI models. The Act has been in force since 1 August 2024, but its provisions take effect on different dates, including dates changed by a 2026 amendment.
Reviewed 2026-10-09
What the law covers
The EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, has been in force since 1 August 2024. It establishes common EU rules for artificial intelligence, aiming to address risks to health, safety and fundamental rights while supporting innovation. Its framework sorts obligations by the kind of system and its use; it does not impose one identical checklist on every AI product.
The EU Act covers several kinds of obligations: some AI practices are prohibited; certain high-risk systems face requirements such as risk management and human oversight; some interactive or generative systems have transparency duties; and providers of general-purpose AI models have documentation and other duties. The details, exceptions and responsible party depend on the provision, so the Act’s category labels are a starting point for understanding the rules, not a complete answer about a particular system.
Who may be covered
The EU AI Act has been in force since 1 August 2024 and can cover public and private actors inside or outside the EU. Its scope can include actors that place an AI system or general-purpose AI model on the EU market, put an AI system into service, or use one in the EU. For some providers located outside the EU, the Act can also apply when the system’s output is used in the EU.
The Act distinguishes a provider, which develops a system or has it developed and places it on the market or puts it into service under its name, from a deployer, which uses a system under its authority. A deployer can be a company or public body; personal, non-professional use by an individual is excluded from the Act’s definition. Which duties apply depends on the actor’s role and the system’s use.
Legal status and dates
The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024 and its general application date was 2 August 2026. Some provisions applied earlier: the prohibitions and AI-literacy provisions from 2 February 2025, and governance rules and general-purpose AI obligations from 2 August 2025. The dates are staggered, so “the Act applies” does not mean every obligation started on the same day.
The EU Digital Omnibus on AI, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, has been in force since 27 July 2026 and amended the AI Act timetable. Under the amended dates, rules for high-risk uses listed in Annex III apply from 2 December 2027, while rules for high-risk AI systems embedded in regulated products listed in Annex I apply from 2 August 2028. These dates come from the amending regulation, not the original timetable.
What to check next
For a specific system, first identify the jurisdiction, the actor’s role and the system’s intended use; then check whether a prohibition, high-risk category, transparency duty or general-purpose-model obligation is relevant. The EU AI Act has been in force since 1 August 2024, and its amended high-risk dates are 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028. The classification and any exceptions depend on the law’s details.
The official EU AI Act Explorer presents the consolidated text as at 27 July 2026 and lets readers browse by article, recital and annex. The European Commission also publishes FAQs, guidelines and implementation updates. Those resources help locate the relevant provision and current explanation; for the legally authentic wording, consult the original AI Act and the amending regulation as published in the Official Journal.
Questions people ask
Does the EU AI Act ban all AI?
No. The EU AI Act has been in force since 1 August 2024 and prohibits specified AI practices, while setting different duties for other categories of systems. Whether a particular use is prohibited depends on the relevant provision and its conditions.
Does the EU AI Act apply to companies outside the EU?
It can. The EU AI Act has been in force since 1 August 2024 and can cover providers outside the EU that place systems on the EU market; for providers outside the EU, it can also apply when their system’s output is used in the EU.
Why are some high-risk AI requirements not due until 2027 or 2028?
The EU AI Act has been in force since 1 August 2024, but the EU Digital Omnibus on AI, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, has been in force since 27 July 2026 and amended the timetable. Annex III rules apply from 2 December 2027; Annex I product rules apply from 2 August 2028.
Where can I look up the rule for a particular AI system?
The EU AI Act has been in force since 1 August 2024. The official AI Act Explorer lets you browse its provisions by article, recital and annex; use the consolidated text as a guide, and consult the Official Journal texts for the legally authentic wording.
Learn more
- AI Act Explorer
Browse the EU AI Act by article, recital and annex, using the consolidated text dated 27 July 2026.
- Navigating the AI Act
Read Commission explanations of the EU AI Act’s scope, risk categories, governance and amended implementation dates.
What changed
Sources
Part of AI law and regulation: Find the law, status and date