On July 12, 2024, the European Union’s (EU) Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) was published in the Official Journal of the EU. This was the last step for the AI Act to become law. The AI Act will enter into force 20 days after the publication, i.e., on August 1.
Will the EU AI Act Start to Apply Right Away?
The AI Act will not start to apply right after it has entered into force. Rather, the new rules will start to apply in phases:
EU AI Act Timeline
Once the AI Act starts to apply, it will introduce a swathe of new obligations for companies providing, distributing, importing, and using AI systems and GPAI models in the EU, subject to hefty fines of up to EUR 35 million or seven percent of the total worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher.
For more information about the scope and requirements in the AI Act, please see our FAQ on 10 Things You Should Know About the EU AI Act.
If you have any questions regarding the AI Act, please contact Laura De Boel, Cédric Burton, Yann Padova, or Nikolaos Theodorakis from Wilson Sonsini’s privacy and cybersecurity practice.
Wilson Sonsini’s AI Working Group assists clients with AI-related matters. Please contact Laura De Boel, Maneesha Mithal, Manja Sachet, or Scott McKinney for more information.
Rossana Fol, Roberto Yunquera Sehwani, and Karol Piwonski contributed to the preparation of this client alert.