EU AI Act
Also called: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, AI Act
The EU's regulation on artificial intelligence — the first broad, binding AI law, applying by risk tier.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in phases: prohibited practices from February 2025, general-purpose AI model obligations from August 2025, and the bulk of the framework from August 2026. It sorts systems into unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal risk, with obligations scaling accordingly. It reaches non-EU providers whose output is used in the EU.
In practice: A US SaaS company selling into the EU is in scope regardless of where it is incorporated.
Plain-English summary. The binding text is Regulation (EU) 2024/1689.
Where this comes up
- AI Governance Course in 2026: What Leaders, Managers, and Teams Should Learn
- AI for Business Course in 2026: How to Evaluate One Before You Buy It
- AI for Executives in 2026: An Operating Model for Decisions, Governance, and ROI
- AI for Procurement in 2026: Sourcing, RFP, Supplier, Contract, and Spend Workflows
- ChatGPT for Marketing in 2026: Key Advantages and Workflows That Actually Save Time
- Is It Safe to Use AI Tools at Work? Risks and Best Practices