EU AI Act compliance

What is the EU AI Act?

The EU AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive AI-specific regulation. It categorizes AI systems based on risk level—ranging from minimal to unacceptable—and enforces requirements based on that classification.

Key risk categories:

Unacceptable risk: Banned (e.g., social scoring)
High risk: Requires strict compliance (e.g., AI in hiring, healthcare, law enforcement)
Limited risk: Requires transparency notices (e.g., chatbots)
Minimal risk: No obligations

Why it matters in AI/ML

AI systems operating in or interacting with the EU must adhere to the regulation—or face penalties. The act:

Requires extensive documentation and model testing
Introduces mandatory risk assessments
Demands transparency in data use and model outputs

For high-risk systems, non-compliance can lead to fines up to 6% of global annual revenue.

Key requirements for compliance

1. Risk and impact assessment

Identify whether your system qualifies as high-risk
Document use case, model inputs, outputs, and potential harms

2. Data governance and quality

Ensure training data is relevant, representative, and auditable
Detect and mitigate bias

3. Testing and monitoring

Implement continuous testing pre- and post-deployment
Track performance, drift, and explainability

4. Transparency and human oversight

Provide clear user disclosures
Maintain the ability for human intervention in automated decisions

EU AI Act compliance is more than a checklist—it’s a framework for building responsible, high-integrity AI systems.