EU AI Act enforcement timeline
The EU AI Act stages its application across five milestones, governed by Article 113. Entry into force was on 1 August 2024; the substantive obligations apply on staggered dates between February 2025 and August 2027. Below is what enforces on each date and which AI Exponent article spoke covers it in depth.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 Article 113 — Official Journal.
2024-08-01
Live
2025-02-02
Live
2025-08-02
Live
2026-08-02
Upcoming
2027-08-02
Upcoming
In force
Application
Application
Application
Application
Today · 2026-05-10
2024-08-01
Live
Entry into force
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 entered into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal (Art. 113 first sentence). Most operative provisions apply later under the staggered calendar below.
2025-02-02
Live
Application
Chapter I (general provisions including Art. 4 AI literacy) and Chapter II (prohibited AI practices, Art. 5) become applicable. Per Art. 113(a).
See the article spoke →2025-08-02
Live
Application
Chapter V (general-purpose AI models — Articles 51–56), Chapter III Section 4 (notifying authorities and notified bodies), Chapter VII (governance and AI Office), most of Chapter XII (penalties — Articles 99 and 100), and Art. 78 confidentiality. Per Art. 113(b). Important exception: Article 101 (Commission-imposed GPAI fines) is explicitly excluded by Art. 113(b) — those fines do not become applicable until 2 August 2026 under the default Art. 113 date.
See the article spoke →2026-08-02
Upcoming
Application
Most remaining provisions apply — including Articles 8–15 (high-risk system requirements: risk management, data governance, technical documentation, record-keeping, transparency, human oversight, accuracy and robustness), Articles 16–27 (provider, importer, distributor, deployer obligations), Article 19 log retention, AND Article 101 — Commission-imposed GPAI fines (excluded from the 2025-08-02 date by Art. 113(b)) become applicable today. The default Art. 113 application date.
See the article spoke →2027-08-02
Upcoming
Application
Article 6(1) and Annex I — high-risk AI systems that are safety components of, or themselves are, products covered by sector-specific Union harmonisation legislation listed in Annex I (medical devices, machinery, in vitro diagnostics, civil aviation, marine equipment, toys, etc.). Per Art. 113(c). Also: GPAI transitional deadline — providers of general-purpose AI models placed on the EU market before 2 August 2025 must come into full compliance with Article 53 obligations by today (Art. 111(3)).
Drill into a specific article
When the calendar pressure becomes a programme
Tools surface deadlines. Programmes meet them.
The dates above are non-negotiable. The work between today and each milestone — programme design, board narrative, regulator dialogue — is the surface AskAjay covers, the advisory arm of AI Exponent LLC.
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