AI Act
The AI Act applies in stages; after the Digital Omnibus, high-risk rules apply from 2 December 2027 (Annex III) and 2 August 2028 (AI in regulated products).
- Reference
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744
- Status
- Applies in stages
- Sources last checked
What it is
The AI Act regulates AI systems by risk. Prohibited practices and AI-literacy provisions apply since February 2025 (the AI-literacy provision was softened by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744), rules for general-purpose AI since August 2025, and transparency duties since August 2026. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (in force since 27 July 2026) postponed the high-risk obligations and moved AI requirements for machinery into the Machinery Regulation.
Who is affected
Providers, importers, distributors and deployers of AI systems — including AI functions embedded in devices, machines and software.
What you have to do
- Inventory AI functions in your products and processes and classify them by risk.
- Take measures to support the AI literacy of staff dealing with AI systems (Art. 4 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744).
- Providers: mark AI-generated output in machine-readable form and design systems so that people are informed they are interacting with AI; deployers: disclose deepfakes and certain AI-generated text.
- Prepare high-risk documentation in time for December 2027 / August 2028.
Fact check
Not correct “The AI Act has been postponed as a whole.”
Mainly the high-risk obligations were postponed (plus, for systems placed on the market before 2 August 2026, the marking of generated content until 2 December 2026). Prohibitions, AI-literacy measures, general-purpose AI rules and the other transparency duties already apply.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act) — Official Journal text (opens external website) ↗
- Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI) — Official Journal text (opens external website) ↗
- AI Act — timeline incl. omnibus changes (opens external website) ↗
General information, not legal advice. Authentic are only the texts published in the Official Journal of the EU and the Austrian Federal Law Gazette.
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