EU AI Act Officially Becomes Law, Setting Global Precedent
The European Union publishes its comprehensive AI Act in the Official Journal, formally establishing the world's first major horizontal legal framework for artificial intelligence. The regulation enters into force on August 1, 2024, with most enforcement rules taking effect two years later.
The European Union officially establishes the world's first comprehensive horizontal legal framework for artificial intelligence as the EU AI Act appears in the Official Journal. This landmark regulation enters into force across all 27 member states on August 1, 2024, marking the culmination of extensive negotiations to harmonize AI development and deployment.
The new law takes a risk-based approach to govern the entire lifecycle of various AI systems. Spanning 180 recitals and 113 articles, the act dictates strict rules for how companies develop, place on the market, put into service, and use artificial intelligence within the bloc.
While the law formally takes effect this summer, the enforcement of the majority of its provisions does not commence until August 2, 2026. This delayed timeline gives businesses a critical window to understand the risk classifications and adjust their operations to ensure full compliance before penalties apply.