What it is
The EU Artificial Intelligence Act, known as the AI Act, is the European Union's first general law on AI. It entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in stages. It doesn't regulate the technology itself but its uses, according to the risk they pose to people.
How it classifies risk
- Unacceptable risk: banned uses, such as social scoring of people or harmful manipulation.
- High risk: systems that affect important decisions, for example in employment, education, credit or essential services. They require risk management, documentation, data quality and human oversight.
- Limited risk: transparency obligations, such as telling people they are talking to an AI or labelling artificially generated content.
- Minimal risk: most everyday uses, with no specific obligations.
Dates that matter
- 2 February 2025: the bans apply, together with the obligation for staff who use AI to have sufficient AI literacy.
- 2 August 2025: obligations for general-purpose AI models.
- 2 August 2026: most of the regulation applies, including transparency obligations and those for many high-risk systems.
What a company should review
Before launching an AI project, it is worth knowing which category the intended use falls into, what information must be given to customers and employees, who oversees the results and how it is documented. In most SME projects the risk is limited or minimal, but it is better to check at the start than to find out later.
This article is for information only and does not replace legal advice for a specific case.
