When does the EU AI Act apply?

The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in stages: the bans on prohibited practices and the AI literacy duty from 2 February 2025, the general-purpose AI model rules and penalties from 2 August 2025, and most remaining obligations, including those for Annex III high-risk systems, from 2 August 2026, with high-risk AI inside regulated products (Annex I) following from 2 August 2027.

How it works

2 February 2025: Article 5 prohibitions and Article 4 AI literacy.
2 August 2025: obligations for general-purpose AI models, governance and penalties.
2 August 2026: the main body of the Act, including Annex III high-risk systems and Article 50 transparency.
2 August 2027: high-risk AI that is a safety component of products under Annex I.

The EU has proposed adjusting some high-risk dates through its digital simplification package, so check the current position for your system before relying on a date.

EU AI Act checks Start sealing decisions

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