The European Council adopts the EU AI Act

Published

May 21 2024

Written By

As an IT lawyer specialising in Emerging Technologies, in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI), I help companies navigate the complex landscape at the intersection of technology and law. Based in our Frankfurt office, I counsel a wide range of national and international clients, from innovative start-ups to large multinational corporations.

Practices

What happened today? Is this the final step toward the EU AI legislation?

The European Council has adopted the EU AI Act. This marks the final step in the legislative process, following approval from various committees in February 2024 and a vote in the EU Parliament in March 2024. No further approvals are required and after the formal next steps are fulfilled the EU AI Act is binding.

New Amendments?

Until today, the most recent text version of the AI Act, known as Corrigendum II, was published in April 2024. The text adopted today does not contain changes compared to this version. The only recognisable changes are due to the new layout.

Next Steps?

The final text of the AI Act will soon be published in the Official Journal of the EU, and will enter into force 20 days after its publication. The applicability of the provisions of the AI Act will be staggered. Some will apply six months from now (i.e. early 2025), while others will apply 36 months later. The general applicability of all provisions without a specific applicability period is set at 24 months (i.e. summer 2026).

EU AI Act Guide – now ready to download!

To guide you through the EU AI Act, our multi-disciplinary global team of AI experts has launched our EU AI Act Guide which summarises key aspects of the new regulation and highlights the most important actions organisations should take in seeking to comply with it. Serving a similar purpose as our GDPR Guide, our EU AI Act Guide is divided into thematic sections, with a speed-read summary and a list of suggested priority action points.

To access the guide, click here.