EU AI Act emblemREADY 4 AI Act
    The EU AI Act is in force. Fines up to €35M. Article 50 transparency rules apply, high-risk obligations follow on 2 Dec 2027. Check your readiness
    EU-AI Act Readiness · Updated for Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

    Get ready for the EU AI Act.Transparency: applies now · High-risk: 2 Dec 2027.

    Understand what the EU AI Act requires as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, run a free readiness assessment, and get a personalised action plan - without wading through 400 pages of regulation.

    Start Free AI CheckLearn about the AI Act

    Free assessment

    ~5-10 minute readiness check

    Current timeline

    2 Dec 2026 · 2 Dec 2027 · 2 Aug 2028

    Expert guidance

    Courses, consultancy, audits

    AI Act classification

    How AI Act requirements are commonly grouped

    Requirements are usually grouped into prohibited practices, high-risk systems, Article 50 transparency duties and other AI. The assessment gives indicators of where your systems are likely to sit - it is not a definitive legal classification.

    Prohibited

    Prohibited AI: social scoring, manipulative or exploitative use, real-time biometric ID in public (narrow exceptions), and - from 2 Dec 2026 - AI nudifiers & CSAM.

    Maximum fine
    €35M or 7% of global turnover

    High-risk

    AI in HR, credit, education, essential services, biometrics or law enforcement, and AI in regulated products where the Article 6(1) conditions - including the safety-function test - are met. Heaviest obligations - applies 2 Dec 2027 / 2 Aug 2028.

    Maximum fine
    €15M or 3% of global turnover

    Article 50 transparency

    Chatbots, deepfakes, generated content, emotion recognition. Interaction disclosure, machine-readable marking and deepfake disclosure duties apply (Art. 50).

    Maximum fine
    €15M or 3% of global turnover (Art. 99(4))

    Other AI

    The vast majority of AI systems: spam filters, game AI, recommenders. No specific AI Act obligations beyond horizontal rules.

    Maximum fine
    No specific fine
    Find out which group applies to you

    Who this is for

    Every role in the AI value chain is in scope

    The EU AI Act assigns duties by role, not by industry. Find yours to see what applies.

    Provider

    You develop an AI system (or a general-purpose AI model) and place it on the EU market under your own name or trademark - including free and open-source releases that meet the definition.

    Deployer

    You use an AI system under your authority in a professional context - for example, HR screening, credit scoring, customer chatbots or clinical decision support. Deployers of high-risk systems carry heavy oversight duties.

    Importer

    You place an AI system from a non-EU provider on the EU market. You must verify the provider ran conformity assessment, drafted the technical documentation and affixed the CE marking before the system reaches EU customers.

    Distributor

    You make an AI system available on the EU market without being provider or importer. You must check that CE marking and required documentation are in place and act if you have reason to believe the system is non-conforming.

    Compliance at a glance

    What to have in place, and by when

    The compliance-checklist areas mapped to the AI Act timeline - what should already be in place, and what falls due in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

    Prohibited practices (Art. 5)In force

    Ban on social scoring, manipulative, exploitative and untargeted-biometric AI uses.

    Governance & accountabilityDo now

    Named AI owner, AI usage policy, risk-register entry, incident playbook, board reporting.

    AI inventory & risk classificationDo now

    Central register of every AI system with purpose, data, decision impact and classification.

    AI literacy (Art. 4)Do now

    Proportionate measures that support staff in building up adequate AI competency, refreshed as tools change.

    Transparency (Art. 50)In force

    Providers: disclose AI interaction, machine-readable marking of generated content. Deployers: emotion and biometric notices, deepfake and public-interest disclosure.

    High-risk technical controls (Annex III)2 Dec 2027

    Risk-management system, data governance, Annex IV file, logging, human oversight, post-market monitoring, incident reporting.

    High-risk technical controls (Annex I)2 Aug 2028

    Same high-risk regime for AI embedded in regulated products - medical devices, machinery, vehicles, toys.

    See the full compliance checklist

    Process

    How the assessment works

    Three simple steps to a defensible readiness position.

    01

    Describe your AI use

    Answer our smart questionnaire about the AI systems your company builds, deploys or buys - voice or text.

    02

    AI-powered analysis

    Our engine maps your answers against the AI Act (including the Digital Omnibus updates) to classify risk and identify gaps.

    03

    Personalised report

    Download a readiness report with your risk classification, applicable obligations, and a prioritised action plan.

    Results in about 5-10 minutes

    Start Free AI Check

    Everything you need to be AI Act ready

    Clarity on obligations, a personalised action plan, and expert help when you need it.

    Understand the Act

    Plain-English guides to the EU AI Act - risk categories, deadlines (updated for the Omnibus), and who is affected.

    Free Readiness Assessment

    A short assessment tailored to your industry with concrete, prioritised next steps.

    Personalised Report

    A downloadable readiness report with your gaps, risks, and recommended actions.

    High-Risk Guidance

    Practical guidance on Annex III use cases and the documentation regulators expect.

    AI Literacy Training (Article 4)

    Under Article 4 of the EU AI Act, organisations using AI should support their staff in building up adequate AI competency - in force since 2 February 2025.

    Explore AI Literacy Training

    Consultancy & Audits

    Hands-on support to close gaps and readiness audits for high-risk systems.

    See consultancy & audit services

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    Everything you need to know about the EU AI Act and our readiness assessment.

    No - the AI Act was not delayed as a whole. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (the Digital Omnibus on AI), in force since 27 July 2026, postponed only the high-risk obligations, to 2 December 2027 for Annex III systems and 2 August 2028 for Annex I systems. Article 50 transparency obligations, the Article 5 prohibitions, GPAI duties and the Article 4 AI literacy duty all apply today.

    The EU AI Act applies to any organisation that develops, deploys, imports or distributes AI systems whose output is used in the EU - regardless of where the company is based. That includes buying AI features from vendors and embedding them in a workflow. Our free assessment tells you which role you play (provider, deployer, importer, distributor) and which risk category applies to your specific use.

    The EU AI Act sets three fine tiers under Article 99, capped at the higher of a fixed amount or a percentage of worldwide annual turnover: up to €35 million or 7% for prohibited practices (Art. 99(3)), €15 million or 3% for most other breaches - including high-risk obligations and Article 50 transparency duties (Art. 99(4)) - and €7.5 million or 1% for supplying incorrect, incomplete or misleading information to authorities (Art. 99(5)). National market-surveillance authorities enforce and can also order withdrawal or recall.

    The free readiness assessment takes about 5-10 minutes. You can complete it by voice or by text, save your progress and receive a personalised readiness report by email - no credit card required.

    You receive a branded PDF readiness report containing your AI Act role and risk classification, the specific obligations that apply to your systems, a gap analysis against the current text of the Act, and a prioritised action plan with deadlines you can share with your leadership team.

    Yes. Ready 4 AI Act provides Article 4 AI literacy training, hands-on consultancy to close gaps, Annex IV documentation support, and readiness audits for high-risk systems. Contact us after the assessment to scope what fits your organisation.

    The EU AI Act does not create a formal 'AI compliance officer' role in the way GDPR requires a DPO, but Article 26 obliges deployers of high-risk systems to assign human oversight to a competent person, and under Article 4 organisations should support their staff in building up adequate AI competency. In practice most mid-sized organisations designate an accountable owner - often within the DPO, CISO or general counsel function - supported by documented governance.

    Article 50 splits into separate provider and deployer duties, and they apply now. Providers must make sure people are informed when they interact with an AI system (e.g. chatbots) and must mark AI-generated or manipulated audio, image, video and text in a machine-readable way. Deployers must disclose emotion recognition and biometric categorisation to the people exposed to them, label deepfakes, and disclose AI-generated text published to inform the public on matters of public interest. Generative systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 have until 2 December 2026 for the marking duty. Non-compliance falls in the €15M / 3% tier under Article 99(4), subject to the SME rule and a case-specific assessment.

    Yes - being a deployer does not offload liability. Article 25 shifts you into 'provider' status if you substantially modify a high-risk AI system, put your brand on it, or change its intended purpose. Even without that, deployers must monitor operation, log events, run fundamental-rights impact assessments where required, and can be fined for failing oversight duties regardless of what the vendor did wrong.

    Article 4 has applied since 2 February 2025 to every provider and deployer of an AI system. As amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 it asks you to take appropriate measures to support the development of AI literacy - in plain terms, you should support your staff in building up adequate AI competency, proportionate to their role, the context of use and the people affected. There is no exemption for small businesses, and national authorities have had enforcement powers since 2 August 2026.

    Ready in minutes.

    Take the free readiness assessment and get a personalised report you can share with your leadership team.

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