The European Council has adopted the EU AI Act. This marks the final step in the legislative process, following approval from various committees in February 2024 and a vote in the EU Parliament in March 2024. No further approvals are required and after the formal next steps are fulfilled the EU AI Act is binding.
Until today, the most recent text version of the AI Act, known as Corrigendum II, was published in April 2024. The text adopted today does not contain changes compared to this version. The only recognisable changes are due to the new layout.
The final text of the AI Act will soon be published in the Official Journal of the EU, and will enter into force 20 days after its publication. The applicability of the provisions of the AI Act will be staggered. Some will apply six months from now (i.e. early 2025), while others will apply 36 months later. The general applicability of all provisions without a specific applicability period is set at 24 months (i.e. summer 2026).