EU AI Act Regulatory Sandboxes

An AI regulatory sandbox is a controlled environment under the supervision of a competent authority. Article 57 of the EU AI Act, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, requires Member States to ensure that at least one national AI regulatory sandbox is operational by August 2, 2027. The 2026 amendment was published in the Official Journal on July 24, 2026 and entered into force three days later. It also allows the AI Office to establish a Union-level sandbox for systems under its supervision. The framework lets providers or prospective providers develop, train, test, and validate innovative AI systems for a limited time under an agreed plan and appropriate safeguards. Authorities may provide guidance and supervision, including on risks to fundamental rights, health, and safety. Participation is an opportunity to work through regulatory questions; it does not amount to blanket approval, a waiver of the Act, or immunity from other applicable requirements. Articles 57 and 58 describe national sandboxes and Commission implementing rules. The amendment adds governance details, cooperation with data-protection and other competent authorities, and permits the sandbox plan to incorporate a real-world testing plan where applicable. Article 59 addresses further processing of personal data for certain public-interest purposes within a sandbox under specified conditions. Data-protection law continues to matter, as do other relevant Union and national laws. Projects should identify the competent authorities and the legal framework that applies to the particular system and data. Before applying, a team should define its objective, system version, test participants, data, duration, safeguards, human oversight, incident handling, and exit criteria. The plan should state how the team will monitor risks and stop or change a test when safeguards fail. Keep records of authority feedback and lessons learned, then use them as input to the separate compliance and conformity work required before deployment. Actual access, application steps, and authority capacity vary by Member State. This overview is informational, not legal advice.