AI Act enforcement is phased. Market access risk is not.
A practical timeline of what is already enforceable, what lands next, and why waiting increases regulatory and commercial exposure.
The timeline is operational now
The EU AI Act is no longer a future scenario. It entered into force on August 1, 2024, and obligations are being activated in phases.
Compliance programs need a date-driven operating model, not static policy PDFs. Teams that treat this as a one-time legal project will miss recurring evidence duties.
Board-level exposure increases with every phase
Each new phase expands what must be demonstrated: classification logic, conformity artifacts, and post-market controls.
This is not only a legal concern. It impacts procurement approvals, launch dates, and enterprise customer trust during security and compliance reviews.
Operate from a control plane
The winning pattern is infrastructure: one system that tracks obligations, evidence freshness, and change history continuously.
That is the shift from reactive documentation to durable governance.