Everything you need to know about the AI Act in 6 chapters. Obligations, classification, penalties, timeline and checklist for compliance.
The AI Act (EU Regulation 2024/1689) is the first dedicated piece of legislation in the world for regulating artificial intelligence. Adopted by the European Union, it imposes obligations on any organisation that develops, deploys or uses an AI system on European soil — regardless of its size or sector.
For UK-based organisations, the picture is nuanced. Post-Brexit, the UK is not directly bound by the AI Act, but any UK company offering AI-powered products or services to EU customers must comply. The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) and the UK AI Safety Institute are shaping the domestic regulatory landscape, while the FCA, HMRC and NHS England are developing sector-specific AI guidance.
The text runs to over 400 pages. Obligations vary depending on the type of system, the level of risk and the role of the organisation. Most businesses don’t know where to start — or even whether they are affected (nearly all of them are).
This guide translates the regulation into concrete actions, chapter by chapter, for decision-makers, compliance officers and operational teams.
You are most likely already affected
If your organisation uses a machine translation tool, a chatbot, a recommendation engine or an AI assistant built into your office suite — you are a user of an AI system within the meaning of the regulation. Article 4 requires you to train your staff. The deadline has already passed since August 2025.
Chapter 1 — The fundamentals of the AI Act: who it applies to, what it covers, the key definitions.
Chapter 2 — Risk-level classification: how to determine whether your AI systems are deemed unacceptable, high, limited or minimal risk.
Chapter 3 — Article 4 and the training obligation: what every organisation must put in place to ensure its teams have adequate AI literacy.
Chapter 4 — Penalties and fines: what you risk in the event of non-compliance, including the amounts and the calculation criteria.
Chapter 5 — The complete timeline: every deadline from 2024 to 2027, phase by phase, with the priority actions at each stage.
Chapter 6 — The checklist by role: DPO, HR Director, CIO, executive board and SME leaders — the compliance actions relevant to you, in an interactive checklist.
📄AI Act Article 4: the AI training obligation explained→