EU AI Act enforcement begins for high-risk applications — first compliance audits underway

The EU AI Act's high-risk-application provisions entered active enforcement in early May, with the first round of compliance audits underway across employment screening, biometric ID, and credit scoring deployments. Penalties for non-compliance range up to 7% of global revenue.

The enforcement phase has been long-anticipated since the Act's 2024 adoption. What's notable now is the concreteness: the European Commission's newly-staffed AI Office is conducting audits, and several high-profile deployments are being scrutinized. The first formal enforcement action is expected within Q3 2026.

The EU's approach — comprehensive risk-tiered regulation with steep penalties — is now operationally diverging from the US "minimally burdensome" federal framework. Multinational AI deployers face the hardest path: they must satisfy both regimes simultaneously, with EU requirements typically the binding constraint.

Mind Foundry — AI regulations 2026 → · White House — EO 14365 (US contrast) →