Short answers in plain English, from the book. A guide, not legal advice.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the European Union's rulebook for artificial intelligence, amended in July 2026 by the Digital Omnibus on AI. It sorts AI by what it is used for, with a handful of banned uses, a high-risk tier, transparency duties, and nothing new for most systems. Chapters 1 to 4 of the book set out the whole board.
In stages between February 2025 and August 2030; the high-risk rules for listed uses apply from 2 December 2027 and for AI in regulated products from 2 August 2028. Every date is on our clock page; Chapter 13 explains which ones are yours.
The high-risk dates moved; nothing already in force paused, and the requirements did not change. Chapter 13 sets out, in two columns, exactly what the 2026 update changed and what it did not.
Yes, where an AI system is placed on the EU market, used in the EU, or its output is used in the EU. Chapter 2 walks through the five ways onto the board.
One of two routes: a safety part of a product that EU law already certifies, or a use on the Act's list of sensitive purposes. Chapter 6 covers both routes, the four exits and the one override.
In most cases, yes, and the duty has applied since 2 August 2026. Chapter 7 covers all four transparency duties and their exceptions.
Three tiers, from 7.5 million euros or 1 per cent of turnover to 35 million euros or 7 per cent, with a lower cap for SMEs and small mid-caps. Chapter 14 works the numbers for a large firm and a small one on the same page.
The way the book explains the Act: the parts of the law are the pieces, the dates are the clock, the regulators are the arbiters, and the aim is to avoid checkmate. The framework page shows the mapping; the book plays it through. Chess: The AI Act Framework is a trade mark; a UK application is pending.
Seeing where each of your AI systems stands is free: the piece, the hat, whether it is in check and which date applies. The moves that get it out of check, the board pack and Grandmaster mode unlock with the code printed in the book. Sign in with your email and your board is saved to your account, so it follows you to any device.
No. It is a guide, accurate to September 2026, that explains the law in plain English and tells you when to ask a lawyer. Before you make a decision that turns on the law, ask a lawyer who knows your facts.
Matthew Blakemore, chief executive of AI Caramba!, a contributor to the EU AI Office's General-Purpose AI Code of Practice, one of four global sub-editors who co-authored and co-edited ISO/IEC 8183, and a member of the Innovate UK BridgeAI Advisory Committee.