How to Prepare for EU AI Act Compliance
The EU AI Act compliance deadline is August 2, 2026. Organizations operating AI systems in EU markets must achieve certification or face penalties up to €30 million or 6% of annual revenue. This comprehensive guide provides a 5-step framework to achieve compliance efficiently.
Start GuideAssess Your AI Systems and Risk Profile
Begin by conducting a complete inventory of all AI systems your organization develops, deploys, or uses. Classify each system by risk level according to EU AI Act categories:
- Prohibited AI: Social scoring systems, emotional manipulation, unauthorized biometric identification
- High-Risk AI: Systems affecting legal rights, safety, employment, education, critical infrastructure
- Limited-Risk AI: Chatbots, deepfakes, surveillance tools requiring transparency
- Minimal-Risk AI: Spam detection, video games, recommendation systems
Document the business purpose, data sources, training methodology, and current safeguards for each system. This assessment forms the foundation for your compliance roadmap and identifies gaps requiring remediation.
Identify Compliance Gaps and Remediation Requirements
Compare your current systems against EU AI Act requirements. High-risk systems must meet these criteria:
- Comprehensive risk assessment and documentation
- Data governance with quality and bias mitigation standards
- Transparency and explainability mechanisms
- Human oversight and intervention capabilities
- Robustness testing and adversarial evaluation
- Monitoring systems and incident reporting procedures
Identify which systems require technical remediation (retraining, new safeguards), organizational changes (policies, training), or governance enhancements (oversight structures, audit procedures). Prioritize high-risk systems for immediate attention.
Implement Technical and Organizational Remediation
Execute your remediation plan systematically. Technical requirements typically include:
- Implement bias detection and mitigation algorithms
- Develop explainability layers for opaque models
- Conduct red teaming and adversarial robustness testing
- Build monitoring systems for drift and performance degradation
- Create audit trails and documentation systems
Organizational requirements include establishing an AI governance committee, developing policies for system oversight, training staff on AI governance principles, and creating incident response procedures. Engage with security teams, ethics boards, and legal counsel throughout this process.
Pursue CASA Certification for Institutional Recognition
CASA certification provides direct evidence of EU AI Act compliance and demonstrates governance commitment to regulators and customers. Choose the appropriate certification level:
- Level 1 (Commercial): $5-25K annually for non-critical commercial systems
- Level 2 (Government): $25-100K annually for government and sensitive systems
- Level 3 (Defense): $100-500K annually for defense and critical infrastructure
The certification process includes comprehensive assessment, security testing by AIdome, Byzantine council review, and ongoing monitoring. CASA certification provides recognized proof of compliance, competitive advantage, and access to global distribution networks.
Establish Continuous Monitoring and Update Procedures
EU AI Act compliance is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing commitment. Establish continuous monitoring systems that:
- Track performance metrics and system behavior for drift or degradation
- Monitor regulatory updates and evolving compliance requirements
- Conduct quarterly internal audits and annual external assessments
- Maintain documentation, audit trails, and incident logs
- Update systems, policies, and training as needed
Assign clear accountability for compliance management, maintain executive sponsorship, and ensure dedicated resources for ongoing governance. Organizations demonstrating continuous improvement and proactive governance typically achieve the best regulatory relationships and customer confidence.
Ready to Get CASA Certified?
Complete this guide and start your certification journey. Our team can help you assess your systems, identify gaps, and guide you through the CASA certification process.
Start Certification Process