BLOG

European AI regulation in force! What does this mean for your organization?

Feb. 4, 2025
Stephan Brinkhuis

From Feb. 2, 2025, the first phase of the European AI Regulation (AI Act) officially came into force. This is a new European Union (EU) law to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) is used safely and responsibly. But what does this mean in practice? And what exactly is changing?

What is the AI regulation?

The AI Regulation is legislation that sets rules for artificial intelligence. The goal is to ensure that AI systems are safe and that people do not abuse it. To achieve this, the law distinguishes between different levels of risk. These different levels of risk are:

Unacceptable risks:
these are risks that pose a serious threat to people's security, rights or freedoms. These include:

AI applications or systems that mislead or unknowingly influence people in a harmful way (manipulative AI)
AI applications or systems that judge people based on behavior, economic status or social interactions resulting in discrimination (Social Scoring);
The use of AI applications or systems for real-time biometric identification without strict legal bases; (Mass facial recognition);
AI applications or systems that analyze emotions to measure performance or behavior (emotion recognition).

High risk:
these are risks that pose a significant risk to the safety or fundamental rights of people. This includes:

Use of AI applications or systems in critical infrastructure
Use of AI applications and systems in medical and legal applications
Use of AI applications and systems in the recruitment and selection of applicants
Use of AI applications or systems in financial services

Limited risk:
these are risks that must meet certain transparency rules and are not heavily regulated. This includes:

Users need to be informed when interacting with AI (chatbots and generative AI)
AI generated content should be clearly marked as such (deepfakes)

Minimal risk:
have no specific limitations. These include:

Spam filters
AI-controlled video games
AI-driven translation software

Why is this law important?

AI is becoming increasingly powerful and is being used in all kinds of industries, from healthcare to customer service. The new rules ensure that AI is used in a fair, safe and reliable way. This protects people against misuse and ensures that companies use AI in an ethical manner.

What are the timelines?

The regulation will be implemented in stages. Below are the timelines visual displayed:

In addition to banning certain AI techniques, there are also new rules for companies and organizations that use AI. Starting today, they must ensure that their employees better understand how AI works and the risks involved. This means that companies must set up training and guidelines to handle AI responsibly. Want to know more about this? Then feel free to contact us