EU AI Act: What You Risk If You Do Nothing
The European AI regulation is now in force. Fines up to €35M. Here's what every Belgian company needs to know and do.
The Countdown Has Begun
February 2025: the first EU AI Act prohibitions came into force. August 2025: transparency obligations apply. August 2026: rules for high-risk systems become mandatory. Is your company compliant?
This regulation is the GDPR of artificial intelligence. And just like GDPR, many Belgian companies will discover too late that they're affected.
Did you know?
Fines under the EU AI Act can reach up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for using prohibited AI systems.
What Changes for You
The EU AI Act classifies every use of AI into 4 risk levels.
What is prohibited (since February 2025): social scoring, emotion detection in the workplace, subliminal manipulation, real-time biometric identification in public spaces. If you're using a tool that does this, stop immediately.
What is heavily regulated (high risk): automated CV screening, credit scoring, medical diagnosis assistance, student assessment. These systems require technical documentation, human oversight, and conformity assessment.
What requires transparency: chatbots, AI content generators, deepfakes. Simple obligation: inform the user that they're interacting with an AI.
What is unrestricted: spam filters, content recommendations, ChatGPT for drafting emails. No specific obligation, but a code of conduct is encouraged.
Not sure about your risk level? Our EU AI Act training helps you map out your obligations in one day.
The Penalties Are Steep
Up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for using prohibited systems. Up to €15 million or 3% of turnover for non-compliance with obligations. Reduced fines exist for SMEs, but the fundamental obligations remain the same.
And if you're already GDPR-compliant, good news: part of the methodology (records, risk analysis, governance) is directly transferable.
Need an AI charter for your company? Our AI Governance consultancy supports you from A to Z.
Take Action
- Take inventory. List every AI tool used in your company, including third-party tools. That's the first step toward compliance.
- Get trained. Our EU AI Act training is available as a lunch & learn, half-day, or conference. Understand your obligations in minimal time.
- Assess your exposure. Our free AI diagnostic measures your maturity and regulatory risks in 2 minutes.
The EU AI Act isn't going away. The longer you wait, the more expensive compliance becomes.
Sources
- EU AI Act Official Text — full regulation text, risk classifications and penalty framework
- AI Act Explorer — practical guide to EU AI Act obligations by risk level
- EDPB — interplay between GDPR and AI Act governance requirements
