The EU AI Act is the world's first comprehensive AI law. These guides decode the regulation into decisions your product team can actually act on—without a law degree.
The EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689, published in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024) entered into force on 1 August 2024. It applies to providers and deployers of AI systems that affect persons in the EU, regardless of where the company is based. The UK has deliberately taken a different path—principle-based, sector-led, with no binding AI-specific law as of 2026.
These four guides cover what the regulation actually requires, translated into engineering and product decisions. None of this is legal advice—for specific compliance questions, consult qualified counsel.
Phased implementation breakdown: prohibited AI practices (February 2025), GPAI model obligations (August 2025), high-risk system requirements (August 2026), and remaining provisions (August 2027). Includes practical checklists for what to do now vs later.
The Annex III category list, the Article 6 dual-test (product safety component vs substantial influence on decisions), self-assessment vs notified body routes, and a three-step decision tree you can run in a sprint planning session.
What “instructions for use” must include, the required documentation fields (accuracy metrics, data characteristics, known risks), provider vs deployer split under Article 26, and a practical technical file template.
UK's pro-innovation, principle-based divergence vs EU hard law. The different roles of the EU AI Office and UK AI Safety Institute, what to build once for both markets, and where biometric and surveillance rules genuinely differ.