EU AI Act Timeline
All deadlines from 2024 to 2028
Article 4 already applies. Supervision comes into view from August 2026 and high-risk obligations follow in phases in 2027/2028.
Priorities for May 2026
Based on current status and upcoming deadlines
Complete Timeline 2024-2028
All important milestones
The regulation is officially in force. Start of the phased implementation period.
- •Regulation published in Official Journal
- •Transition period begins
- •AI Office established
Prohibited AI practices (social scoring, manipulative AI) are enforced. AI literacy (Article 4) is mandatory for all organizations using AI.
- •Social scoring by governments prohibited
- •Manipulative AI practices prohibited
- •AI literacy mandatory (Article 4)
- •Employee training required
Original deadline for Code of Practice GPAI (delayed to July 2025).
- •Deadline postponed
- •Multi-stakeholder process continues
The European Commission publishes the definitive Code of Practice for general-purpose AI models with rules for transparency, copyright and safety.
- •4 chapters: Governance, Transparency, Copyright, Safety
- •Signed by Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon, Meta
- •Presumption of compliance when followed
Rules for General Purpose AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) are in effect. Providers must maintain technical documentation, respect copyright and publish training data summaries.
- •Transparency obligations for GPAI providers
- •Model card and documentation mandatory
- •Copyright compliance required
- •Systemic risk models (>10²⁵ FLOPs): additional obligations
EC missed this deadline. After the AI Omnibus political agreement, many high-risk obligations shift toward 2027/2028.
- •Practical guidance for providers
- •Post-market monitoring procedures
- •Template forms for risk assessment
National supervision and enforcement formally come into view. Transparency and GPAI obligations remain important, while many high-risk obligations follow in phases.
- •Supervision and enforcement structure active
- •Transparency obligations for limited-risk AI
- •GPAI enforcement
- •National market surveillance authorities in scope
Obligations for certain high-risk areas such as biometrics, critical infrastructure, education, employment, migration and border control apply.
- •Risk management and technical documentation
- •Human oversight and monitoring
- •Registration and evidence where applicable
Rules for high-risk AI integrated into regulated products, such as lifts, toys, machinery and medical devices, apply.
- •Annex I product integrations
- •Conformity assessment in product context
- •Align documentation and CE route
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about the EU AI Act
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