When does the EU AI Act take effect?

Last verified · Jul 4, 2026Sourced from official primary sources (linked below).

The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in phases: bans on “unacceptable-risk” AI and AI-literacy duties from 2 February 2025; general-purpose AI (GPAI) model obligations and governance rules from 2 August 2025; general application, including most high-risk system requirements, from 2 August 2026; and rules for high-risk AI embedded in already-regulated products from 2 August 2027.

Key dates

1 August 2024
The EU AI Act entered into force.
2 February 2025
Bans on “unacceptable-risk” AI practices and AI-literacy duties began to apply.
2 August 2025
Obligations for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and the governance rules began to apply.
2 August 2026
The Act becomes generally applicable, including most high-risk AI system requirements.
2 August 2027
Rules for high-risk AI embedded in already-regulated products begin to apply.

Sources

EU AI Act tracker →Global AI laws →

Informational only — not legal advice. Figures are live counts over primary-sourced records; verify against the linked sources before relying on them.

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