EU AI Act Implementation Timeline

The AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024, but its rules do not all apply on one date. Articles 4 and 5 on AI literacy and prohibited practices began applying on 2 February 2025. Governance provisions and the general-purpose AI model obligations applied from 2 August 2025; providers of GPAI models already placed on the market before that date must take necessary compliance steps by 2 August 2027. Article 101’s Commission fine power for GPAI providers is an exception to the earlier penalty-chapter date and applies from 2 August 2026. The Act generally applies from 2 August 2026. This brought into application the broader set of provisions, including Article 50 transparency and many enforcement powers. Regulation 2026/1744 entered into force on 27 July 2026 and altered the future high-risk timetable. Requirements and obligations in Chapter III Sections 1–3 for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk systems apply from 2 December 2027. The corresponding rules for Article 6(1)/Annex I high-risk systems embedded in regulated products apply from 2 August 2028. Certain new Article 5 prohibitions introduced by the amendment have their own 2 December 2026 date. The amendment also gives providers of synthetic-content systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 until 2 December 2026 to take the steps needed for Article 50(2) marking; this is not a delay of every transparency duty. Legacy systems have separate transition rules. High-risk systems already on the market generally become subject to the new requirements only if they undergo significant design changes after the relevant application date; public-authority high-risk systems have a later compliance deadline of 2 August 2030. Large-scale IT systems in Annex X have a distinct 2030 transition. Always match the system category, market date and duty to the exact article rather than using one headline deadline.