What it is
The EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of 13 June 2024, is the world’s first broad, binding AI law. It entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in stages. It sorts AI by risk: prohibited practices, high-risk systems, transparency duties for certain AI, and rules for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models.
The 2026 amendment: Digital Omnibus on AI
The Commission proposed targeted changes on 19 November 2025. The Council gave final approval on 29 June 2026, and the result is Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 of 8 July 2026, published in the Official Journal and in force since 27 July 2026. Main changes:
- High-risk dates moved: Annex III (stand-alone) systems to 2 December 2027; Annex I (product-embedded) systems to 2 August 2028.
- New ban on AI that generates non-consensual sexual deepfakes and child sexual abuse material, applying from December 2026.
- Shorter grace period for marking AI-generated content (Article 50(2)), ending 2 December 2026.
- Simplifications: some SME relief extended to small mid-caps, a simplified AI literacy duty, and simpler registration of exempted systems.
- Bias correction: processing special categories of personal data to detect and correct bias is now allowed, with safeguards.
- AI Office oversight widened, including systems built on GPAI models.
- Sector overlap: implementing acts can limit duplication with sector laws such as medical devices.
Current timeline
| Date | What applies |
|---|---|
| 2 Feb 2025 | Prohibitions, AI literacy |
| 2 Aug 2025 | GPAI rules, governance, penalties |
| 2 Aug 2026 | Most rules, including Article 50 transparency, and enforcement |
| 2 Dec 2026 | Deepfake and CSAM ban; Article 50(2) deadline for systems already on the market |
| 2 Aug 2027 | National sandboxes |
| 2 Dec 2027 | Annex III high-risk rules |
| 2 Aug 2028 | Annex I high-risk rules |
Reuse terms
EUR-Lex content is reusable under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU; Commission pages are licensed CC BY 4.0, with credit and an indication of changes, excluding third-party content and logos. Only the Official Journal text is authentic. We could not read the EUR-Lex legal notice page itself during this check.
Using the AI Act in AI and RAG
- Index the consolidated text with its date, and keep the 2024 OJ text and the 2026/1744 amendment as separate authentic sources.
- Rebuild your date table from the amendment; old summaries say 2 August 2026 for high-risk.
- Tag articles by role (provider, deployer, importer, GPAI provider).
- Keep Commission guidance separate from the regulation.
- Add CC BY attribution to outputs that quote Commission pages.
Common mistakes
- Citing 2 August 2026 as the high-risk start date.
- Assuming Article 50 transparency duties were delayed. They apply from 2 August 2026.
- Treating the Omnibus as a proposal; it is law.
- Using a pre-July 2026 consolidated version.
Checklist
- Consolidated text dated after 27 July 2026
- Date table updated for 2027 and 2028
- Role tags applied
- Guidance separated from law
- Attribution in outputs
How AskDona helps
AskDona checks your AI system documentation, risk classifications, and transparency notices against the AI Act articles you select, citing the article and version behind each finding.
Run a sample EU AI Act readiness check
AskDona shows the evidence; your legal and compliance teams decide.
Editor’s note. This article is general information, not legal advice. The “conditions to check” rating comes from our source list and is a first-pass judgment, not a legal opinion.
FAQ
When do EU AI Act high-risk rules apply? After the 2026 amendment: 2 December 2027 for Annex III systems and 2 August 2028 for Annex I systems.
Was the AI Act delayed? Only parts. The Digital Omnibus (Regulation 2026/1744) moved high-risk dates; other rules apply as planned.
Do transparency rules apply now? Yes, Article 50 has applied since 2 August 2026.
Can I reuse the AI Act text in an AI tool? Generally yes, with attribution; cite the Official Journal as authentic.
References
All pages opened and checked by October 26, 2026.
| Source | What it supports |
|---|---|
| EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 | Regulation date |
| EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 | Omnibus title and date |
| Council: Final green light (29 Jun 2026) | Final approval and new dates |
| Commission: AI Omnibus enters into force | In force 27 July 2026, changes |
| AI Act Service Desk: Implementation timeline | Current dates |
| Council: AI Act timeline | Legislative history |
| European Commission: Legal notice | CC BY 4.0 |