EU AI Act
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act)
World's first comprehensive risk-based regulatory framework for AI systems. Classifies AI by risk level with escalating requirements from prohibited practices to high-risk obligations.
Jurisdiction
European Union
Enacted
Jul 12, 2024
Effective
Aug 1, 2024
Enforcement
AI Office (European Commission) + national authorities
Phased implementation through 2027
EUR-LexWhy It Matters
Article 5(1)(b) prohibits AI that exploits vulnerabilities (including age) to distort behavior causing significant harm. Sets global precedent for risk-based AI regulation.
Recent Developments
Code of Practice on AI-Generated Content (Article 50): First draft published Dec 17, 2025; stakeholder feedback deadline Jan 23, 2026; second draft expected mid-March 2026; final expected June 2026. Covers Article 50(2), (4), (5) obligations for providers and deployers. Voluntary but likely de facto compliance standard. AI Regulatory Sandboxes: Commission consultation launched Dec 2, 2025; each Member State must establish at least one by Aug 2, 2026. EU AI Office investigation into Meta WhatsApp Business APIs (Jan 2026) for allegedly restricting rival AI providers.
At a Glance
Applies to
Harms addressed
Who Must Comply
- AI system providers
- Deployers
- Importers/distributors of in-scope AI
Safety Provisions
- Prohibited: AI exploiting vulnerabilities (age, disability) causing psychological harm
- Prohibited: Social scoring, predictive policing based on profiling, emotion recognition in schools/workplaces
- High-risk systems require: risk management, data governance, human oversight, transparency
- Conformity assessments before market placement
- Post-market monitoring and incident reporting
Compliance & Enforcement
Key Dates
Feb 2, 2025
Prohibited AI practices enforceable; AI literacy obligations
Aug 2, 2025
GPAI model obligations; Member States designate authorities
Aug 2, 2026
Full high-risk AI system requirements
Aug 2, 2027
Extended deadline for AI in regulated products
Penalties
€35M or 7% revenue (whichever higher)
Primary Source
EUR-Lex
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj
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European Union
Focus Areas
Compliance Help
Requires continuous monitoring systems to identify psychological harm from AI; documented risk management processes; ability to demonstrate harm prevention measures to regulators.
See how NOPE helpsCite This
APA
European Union. (2024). Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act).
Related Regulations
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Proposed amendments to the EU AI Act that would delay high-risk AI system obligations by up to 16 months, making compliance conditional on availability of harmonised standards and support tools.
Finland AI Act
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Hungary AI Act
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NZ Biometric Code
Sets specific legal requirements under Privacy Act for collecting and using biometric data such as facial recognition and fingerprint scans. Prohibits particularly intrusive uses including emotion prediction and inferring protected characteristics like ethnicity or sex.
TX Healthcare AI Law
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Last updated February 17, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.