What is the EU AI Act?

The EU AI Act (Artificial Intelligence Act) is Europe's comprehensive framework for regulating AI. It categorizes AI systems by risk level and sets different requirements based on category.

Since Norway is part of the EEA, the law applies here as well.

Risk Categories

Unacceptable Risk (Prohibited)

AI systems that manipulate human behavior, social scoring, or real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces.

High Risk

Systems in:

• Critical infrastructure
• Education and vocational training
• Employment and working conditions
• Access to essential services
• Law enforcement
• Border control

These require conformity assessment, documentation, human oversight, and registration in the EU database.

Limited Risk

Chatbots, generative AI, and similar – require transparency (users must know they are interacting with AI).

Minimal Risk

Most AI games and spam filters – no special requirements.

What Your Business Needs to Do

Step 1: Map Your AI Systems

Create an overview of where you use AI, both internally and in products.

Step 2: Classify by Risk

Determine which category each system falls under.

Step 3: Implement Necessary Measures

For high-risk systems:

• Document the system thoroughly
• Implement human oversight
• Ensure data quality
• Test for bias and discrimination

Step 4: Monitor and Report

Set up routines for ongoing monitoring and reporting.

Timeline

| Phase | Date | |-------|------| | Prohibited systems | February 2025 | | High-risk requirements | August 2026 | | Generative AI requirements | August 2025 |

Conclusion

The EU AI Act isn't just bureaucracy – it's a framework for responsible innovation. Businesses that take this seriously early will have an advantage when the market demands compliance.