EU AI ActDeadline: August 2026

EU AI Act Compliance

The world's first comprehensive AI regulation. Classify, assess, and document your AI systems before the deadline.

What is EU AI Act?

The EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) is the world's first comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence. It establishes a risk-based classification system where AI systems are categorized as unacceptable risk, high-risk, limited risk, or minimal risk — each with proportionate obligations.

For high-risk AI systems (Annex III), organizations must implement a quality management system, conduct conformity assessments, maintain technical documentation, and ensure human oversight. Non-compliance can result in fines up to 7% of global annual turnover or EUR 35 million.

The regulation applies to providers, deployers, importers, and distributors of AI systems placed on the EU market or whose output is used in the EU — regardless of where the organization is based.

Who needs to comply?

Applies to

  • Companies developing or deploying AI systems in the EU market
  • Organizations using AI for HR decisions, credit scoring, or law enforcement
  • Providers of general-purpose AI models (GPAI), including foundation models
  • Any business using AI-powered tools that affect EU citizens
  • Importers and distributors of AI products sold in Europe

Exemptions

  • AI used exclusively for military or defense purposes
  • AI systems used purely for scientific research and development
  • Personal, non-professional use of AI systems

Key Requirements

The most important articles and obligations you need to address.

Art. 6

Risk Classification

Rules for determining whether an AI system is high-risk based on its intended purpose and Annex III categories.

Art. 9

Risk Management System

Requirement for a continuous, iterative risk management process throughout the AI system lifecycle.

Art. 10

Data Governance

Training, validation, and testing data sets must meet quality criteria including relevance, representativeness, and bias examination.

Art. 11

Technical Documentation

Comprehensive documentation demonstrating compliance, including system architecture, design choices, and risk assessments.

Art. 14

Human Oversight

High-risk AI systems must be designed to allow effective human oversight, including the ability to override system decisions.

Art. 17

Quality Management

Providers must implement a quality management system covering development, testing, validation, and post-market monitoring.

Art. 52

Transparency Obligations

Users must be informed when interacting with AI systems, especially chatbots, emotion recognition, and deepfakes.

Art. 71

Fines & Penalties

Non-compliance fines up to EUR 35M or 7% of global turnover for prohibited AI, and EUR 15M or 3% for other violations.

EU AI Act Timeline

Key enforcement milestones

Feb 2025

Prohibited AI practices + AI literacy

In effect

Aug 2025

GPAI rules + national authorities

In effect

Aug 2026

High-risk obligations (Annex III)

Deadline

Aug 2027

Annex I product safety AI

How complixo helps with EU AI Act

Purpose-built features to get you from zero to compliant.

Auto Risk Classification

Select your AI use case and get instant risk classification with mapped obligations per article.

Compliance Checklists

Pre-built checklists covering all Annex III requirements, from data governance to human oversight.

Technical Documentation

Structured evidence collection for Art. 11 technical documentation requirements.

Control Testing

Control checks and effectiveness monitoring linked directly to AI Act requirements. Check results become evidence.

Risk Register

5x5 risk matrix for AI-specific risks with likelihood, impact scoring, and mitigation tracking.

Audit-Ready Reports

Generate PDF, Excel, or Word reports per AI system with full traceability from regulation to evidence.

Frequently asked questions

Does the EU AI Act apply to companies outside the EU?

Yes. The AI Act applies to any organization that places AI systems on the EU market or whose AI system output is used in the EU, regardless of where the company is headquartered. This extraterritorial scope is similar to GDPR.

What is a high-risk AI system?

High-risk AI systems are defined in Annex III and include AI used for biometric identification, critical infrastructure, education, employment, credit scoring, law enforcement, and migration management. These systems must comply with the strictest requirements.

When do I need to comply?

Prohibited AI practices apply from February 2025. GPAI rules from August 2025. The main high-risk obligations (Annex III) apply from August 2026. Annex I product safety AI from August 2027.

What are the penalties for non-compliance?

Fines range from EUR 7.5M or 1% of turnover for incorrect information, up to EUR 35M or 7% of global annual turnover for using prohibited AI practices. For other violations, fines can reach EUR 15M or 3% of turnover.

How does complixo help with EU AI Act compliance?

complixo provides automated risk classification based on your AI system's use case, pre-built compliance checklists mapped to specific articles, evidence management for technical documentation, and control testing for validation. All within a structured GRC framework.

Get EU AI Act compliant in minutes

Pre-built checks, structured evidence, and audit-ready reports. No credit card required.