Compliance Briefing — March 13, 2024
The European Parliament formally adopted the AI Act, confirming risk-based obligations, general-purpose AI safeguards, and enforcement timelines ahead of final publication.
Executive briefing: On March 13, 2024, Members of the European Parliament voted to adopt the Artificial Intelligence Act. The legislation codifies prohibitions on certain AI uses, stringent requirements for high-risk systems, and transparency duties for general-purpose AI models.
Immediate compliance priorities
- Risk classification. Catalogue AI use cases and assign risk tiers, preparing documentation for high-risk systems and assessing any prohibited applications.
- General-purpose AI governance. For foundation model developers and deployers, build compliance programs addressing technical documentation, model evaluations, and watermarking obligations.
- Timeline planning. Map staged obligations, including near-term bans on prohibited systems, 2025 high-risk requirements, and later deadlines for general-purpose AI codes of practice.
Control alignment
- Quality management. Align lifecycle monitoring, data governance, and human oversight controls with Annex IV documentation expectations.
- Transparency. Prepare user disclosures, record-keeping, and incident reporting mechanisms required for high-risk deployments.
- Third-party diligence. Update procurement and vendor assessments to include AI Act conformity attestations.
Enablement moves
- Engage national competent authorities and notified bodies early to understand conformity assessment pathways.
- Develop board reporting on AI governance maturity and compliance roadmap milestones.
- Track delegated acts, harmonized standards, and codes of practice shaping detailed technical obligations.
Sources
- European Parliament: Parliament approves landmark AI Act
- Council of the EU: AI Act legislative timeline
Zeph Tech partners with AI leaders to deliver conformity assessments, transparency tooling, and governance programs aligned to the EU AI Act.