In plain English
The EU AI Act is the European Union's comprehensive regulation for artificial intelligence. It sorts AI systems into risk categories and imposes stricter obligations on higher-risk uses, covering transparency, safety, and human oversight. It applies by use case rather than by company type, and can reach organisations outside the EU whose systems affect people inside it.
Why it matters
It is the most significant AI-specific law in force, and its obligations, including a duty to ensure staff AI literacy under Article 4, fall on the organisations that deploy AI, not just those that build it.
A worked example
An AI tool used to screen job applicants counts as a high-risk use under the Act, triggering obligations around transparency, record-keeping, and human oversight.
Common confusion
The Act regulates how AI is used, not who you are. A non-tech company deploying a high-risk system carries the same obligations as a technology firm.