EU AI Act compliance: what changes for AI governance teams?

TL;DR: The EU AI Act now makes transparency obligations enforceable, according to Anjuna’s guide, with high-risk obligations deferred to December 2027 but active requirements already applying to organisations that use AI touching EU citizens. The article argues that compliance depends on continuous inventory, classification, documentation, oversight, and auditability rather than annual review cycles.

Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Anjuna: “The EU AI Act Compliance Guide: Best Practices for Enterprises”.

By the numbers:

• The EU AI Act carries maximum fines of €35 million or 7% of annual turnover for prohibited AI practices, according to Anjuna.
• High-risk AI system or GPAI non-compliance can trigger maximum fines of €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover, according to Anjuna.
• Providing incorrect or misleading information to authorities can result in maximum fines of €7.5 million or 1% of global annual turnover, according to Anjuna.

Key questions

Q: How should organisations prove EU AI Act compliance across the AI lifecycle?

A: They should treat compliance as a continuous evidence chain that spans design, development, deployment, and post-market monitoring.

Q: Why do high-risk AI systems require stronger governance than ordinary AI tools?

A: High-risk systems can affect employment, finance, health, or other sensitive outcomes, so regulators expect traceability, transparency, and human intervention.

Q: What breaks when AI governance is only a one-time review?

A: A one-time review breaks as soon as the agent gains a new tool, a new dataset, or a new workflow.

Practitioner guidance

• Map every AI system in scope Inventory all models, chatbots, decision tools, and embedded AI services.
• Classify systems by EU AI Act risk tier Assign each AI use case to minimal, limited, high, or unacceptable risk, then tie required controls to that classification before production use.
• Build evidence into the AI lifecycle Collect technical documentation, logging, disclosure records, and human-oversight evidence during development and change management, not after deployment.

Bottom line: The EU AI Act turns AI governance into a standing operational requirement rather than a one-time legal exercise.

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