The EU AI Act has been in force since August 2024. In Germany, the Federal Network Agency is set to be the central authority overseeing the EU rules on artificial intelligence.
What is the EU AI Act?
The EU AI Act is the world's first comprehensive legal framework for AI. It aims to foster trustworthy AI in Europe, minimise risks and enable innovation.
Four risk categories
Unacceptable risk (prohibited)
Social scoring systems, manipulation of children, biometric categorisation by sensitive attributes – banned in the EU.
High risk
AI in medical devices, transport systems, recruitment, law enforcement. Strict risk management, data governance and human oversight are mandatory.
Limited risk
Chatbots and deepfakes are subject to transparency requirements, e.g. labelling AI-generated content.
Minimal/no risk
Spam filters, AI in video games: no additional obligations.
Steps to compliance
- Determine the risk category of your AI system
- Carry out risk assessments
- Create technical documentation
- Implement human oversight
- Meet transparency obligations
Deadlines & penalties
Note: this article was created with the help of AI.
