In December 2023, European negotiators reached political agreement on the AI Act, with risk-tiered obligations.
On December 8, 2023, the European Parliament and Council announced political agreement on the AI Act: horizontal rules by risk level, with stronger duties for high-risk systems and general-purpose models.
The process began in 2021. Providers faced transparency, evaluation, and data-governance obligations, with staggered deadlines after 2024 entry into force.
The AI Act became a global reference—imitated or contrasted by the U.S., UK, and Latin America—in AI governance design.
Around September 16, 2026, InfoHandle reported the AI Act’s first coordinated high-risk list: border biometrics, hiring video scoring, non-bank credit, and rail signaling, with FRIAs due 15 Jan 2027, letters to OpenAI/Mistral/Google, and Q1 2027 audits.
From 1–2 September 2026 the AI Office is sending formal information requests to more than 30 providers on advanced-model safety, copyright and transparency; incomplete answers can trigger fines up to €15m or 3% of global turnover.
From 2 August 2026, the European Commission, via the AI Office, is the exclusive supervisor of general-purpose AI (GPAI) model obligations, with fines up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide turnover. 2 December expands Article 50 transparency and intimate-image prohibitions.