EU AI Act timeline
The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) entered into force in August 2024 and applies in stages. Prohibited practices have applied since 2 February 2025 and general-purpose AI model obligations since 2 August 2025. Article 50 transparency obligations apply from 2 August 2026, with machine-readable marking for generative systems already on the market due by 2 December 2026. Following Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI), obligations for standalone high-risk systems (Annex III) apply from 2 December 2027 and for high-risk AI in regulated products such as medical devices (Annex I) from 2 August 2028. Penalties reach EUR 35 million or 7% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher.
Next obligation: Machine-readable marking (existing generative systems) on 2 December 2026 — in 68 days.
Dates as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force since 27 July 2026 · Updated daily
Obligation dates
In force
Prohibited practices and AI literacy (Arts. 4-5)
Social scoring, untargeted facial scraping, workplace emotion recognition and other Article 5 practices are banned.
In force
General-purpose AI models (Arts. 51-56)
Documentation, copyright policy and training-data summary for GPAI model providers.
In force
Transparency (Art. 50)
People must be told they are interacting with AI; deepfakes and AI-generated content must be labelled.
In 68 days
Machine-readable marking (existing generative systems) (Art. 50(2))
Generative systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 must mark their output as AI-generated.
Date set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.
In 433 days
High-risk systems (Annex III) (Arts. 6-49, Annex III)
Employment, education, credit, insurance, biometrics, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, migration and justice.
Date set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.
In 677 days
High-risk AI in regulated products (Annex I) (Art. 6(1), Annex I)
AI in medical devices, machinery, toys, vehicles and other products under EU harmonisation law.
Date set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.
What changed in 2026
The Digital Omnibus on AI (Regulation (EU) 2026/1744) was published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 27 July 2026. It moved obligations for standalone high-risk systems (Annex III) from 2 August 2026 to 2 December 2027, and for high-risk AI embedded in regulated products (Annex I) from 2 August 2027 to 2 August 2028. It also narrowed the definition of a “safety component”, so AI used solely for assistance, performance optimisation or convenience is not treated as one.
Article 50 transparency obligations were not delayed: they apply from 2 August 2026. Generative systems already on the market before that date have until 2 December 2026 to add machine-readable marking of their output.
Frequently asked questions
When does the EU AI Act apply?
The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) entered into force in August 2024 and applies in stages. Prohibited practices have applied since 2 February 2025 and general-purpose AI model obligations since 2 August 2025. Article 50 transparency obligations apply from 2 August 2026, with machine-readable marking for generative systems already on the market due by 2 December 2026. Following Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI), obligations for standalone high-risk systems (Annex III) apply from 2 December 2027 and for high-risk AI in regulated products such as medical devices (Annex I) from 2 August 2028. Penalties reach EUR 35 million or 7% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher.
Did the Digital Omnibus delay the EU AI Act?
Partly. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force since 27 July 2026, moved high-risk obligations to 2 December 2027 (Annex III) and 2 August 2028 (Annex I). Prohibited practices, general-purpose AI rules and Article 50 transparency were not delayed.
When do EU AI Act high-risk obligations apply?
Standalone high-risk systems listed in Annex III — such as AI in hiring, credit scoring, insurance pricing, education and critical infrastructure — must comply from 2 December 2027. High-risk AI in regulated products under Annex I, such as medical devices and machinery, must comply from 2 August 2028.
What are the EU AI Act penalties?
Under Article 99, using a prohibited AI practice can be fined up to EUR 35 million or 7% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. Breaching other obligations can cost up to EUR 15 million or 3%, and giving incorrect information to authorities up to EUR 7.5 million or 1%.
Sources
More on EU AI Act
- EU AI ActWhat the EU AI Act requires, which risk class your system falls in, the obligation dates as amended in 2026, and how to prove compliance.
- GlossaryPlain-language definitions of AI governance and EU AI Act terms: high-risk AI, FRIA, conformity assessment, GPAI, BFT consensus and more.
- Example scorecardAn illustrative example of ICOSA’s multi-model assessment output against the EU AI Act, across common AI architecture classes.
- RemediationArticle-by-article remediation for EU AI Act gaps: risk management, data governance, documentation, human oversight and transparency.