Glossary
EU AI Act
European Union regulation governing AI systems by risk tier.
Definition
The EU AI Act is the European Union's regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, adopted in 2024 with phased enforcement through 2027. It categorizes AI systems by risk tier (unacceptable, high, limited, minimal) and imposes obligations proportional to risk — including transparency, governance, and conformity assessment for high-risk systems.
Context
The EU AI Act is the first major AI-specific regulation at supranational scale and is influencing regulatory design in other jurisdictions. Organizations selling AI-enabled products or services into the EU must comply with obligations that depend on their system's risk classification. Enterprise AI governance functions are now investing heavily in mapping their systems to Act categories.