EU AI Act Published: A New Era for AI Regulation Begins

Today marks a significant milestone in the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) as the European Union (EU) AI Act is published in the EU Official Journal. This landmark legislation establishes the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, and sets the stage for the future regulation of AI both within and beyond the EU.

The AI Act will enter into force 20 days from today’s date, on August 2, 2024. The timeline for implementation is as follows:

• February 2, 2025: Prohibited AI practices must be withdrawn from the market.
• May 2, 2025: Codes of practice will be ready.
• August 2, 2025: General purpose AI (GPAI) models must be in compliance. Governance structure (AI Office, European Artificial Intelligence Board, national market surveillance authorities, etc.) will have to be in place.
• February 2, 2026: European Commission to adopt Implementing Act, which lays down detailed provisions that establish a template for the post-market monitoring plan and the list of elements to be included in the plan.
• August 2, 2026: All rules of the AI Act become applicable, including obligations for high- risk systems defined in Annex III (list of high-risk use cases). Member States shall ensure that their competent authorities have established at least one operational AI regulatory sandbox at national level.
• August 2, 2027: Obligations for high-risk systems defined in Annex I (list of EU harmonization legislation) apply.

For an overview of the AI Act and its implications, please see Latham & Watkins’ article: “EU AI Act: Navigating a Brave New World.”