European Union · Legislation

EU Artificial Intelligence Act

The AI Act uses a risk-based framework for prohibited practices, high-risk systems, general-purpose AI models and transparency duties, including rules that reach some providers outside the EU.

Current status
In force with a phased application schedule
Published or updated
12 July 2024
Effective date
1 August 2024
Last verified
19 August 2026

Prepared by Longan Bay Area AI Legal Research Center based on official public materials.

01

Scope of application & addressees

  • Providers and deployers placing or using AI systems in the European Union
  • Providers placing general-purpose AI models on the EU market
  • Certain non-EU operators where system output is used in the European Union

02

Core regulatory mandates & key requirements

01The Act prohibits defined AI practices that create unacceptable risks.

02High-risk systems require risk management, data governance, technical documentation, logging, human oversight and conformity assessment.

03General-purpose AI providers face documentation, downstream information, copyright-policy and systemic-risk obligations.

03

Enforcement & compliance timeline

The Act entered into force.

Prohibited practices and AI literacy provisions began to apply.

Certain general-purpose AI rules began to apply.

Revised timing rules for high-risk systems entered into force.

Most governance, transparency and enforcement provisions began to apply.

Rules for Annex III high-risk use cases begin to apply.

Rules for high-risk systems embedded in regulated products begin to apply.

Primary text

Statutory & regulatory text

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