Guide
The EU AI Act and AI assistants: what applies, and when.
The AI Act is the EU’s law on artificial intelligence. Most of it is about high-risk uses such as hiring or credit, but parts apply to every chatbot and assistant.
In short. For an everyday AI assistant, three parts of the AI Act matter. You must be told you are talking to an AI, unless it is obvious, from August 2026. Nine practices are banned, from harmful manipulation to exploiting people’s vulnerabilities. And the companies that build the large models behind assistants have had duties since August 2025. Rules for high-risk uses follow in December 2027 and August 2028, after the 2026 “omnibus” moved them back.
The timeline
| Date | What applies |
|---|---|
| 1 August 2024 | The AI Act enters into force |
| 2 February 2025 | Banned practices 1 to 8; duties on AI literacy |
| 2 August 2025 | Governance rules; duties for general-purpose AI models |
| 2 August 2026 | Most of the Act, including the transparency rules |
| December 2026 | A ninth ban, added by the 2026 omnibus |
| 2 December 2027 | High-risk uses in sensitive areas, such as employment, education and biometrics |
| 2 August 2028 | High-risk AI built into regulated products |
The “AI omnibus”, a law to simplify the AI Act, was proposed on 19 November 2025, agreed on 7 May 2026 and entered into force on 27 July 2026; it moved the high-risk dates to those above.
What it means for an AI you talk to
- It must say it is an AI. When you interact with a chatbot, you must be made aware it is a machine, so you can decide with that in mind.
- AI-made content must be identifiable, and some of it, such as deepfakes, clearly labelled.
- Some things are banned outright, including harmful AI-based manipulation and deception, and exploiting people’s vulnerabilities. The ninth ban covers AI that generates non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material.
- Most assistants are not high-risk. High-risk rules cover uses such as hiring, exams, credit and law enforcement, not a helper that answers questions and drafts replies.
Your data rights come from a different law, the GDPR: your data rights with an AI assistant.
What may come next
A proposal is on the table for AI companions in particular: the Commission’s KIDS Act would bar AI companions and chatbots that minors can use from imitating a relationship in ways likely to create emotional dependency. It is a proposal, not law: the KIDS Act and age limits.
How Lychnos is designed
Lychnos tells you it is an AI and does not pretend to be a person. It asks before it acts, and every action is logged. It is in development; why we build in Europe: a European AI assistant.
Source, read 4 November 2026: European Commission, AI Act: regulatory framework on artificial intelligence, with the application timeline and the AI omnibus. General information, not legal advice.
Questions
Does the EU AI Act apply to chatbots?
Yes, through its transparency rules: people must be told when they are interacting with an AI, unless it is obvious, and AI-generated content must be identifiable. These rules apply from August 2026.
When does the EU AI Act apply?
It entered into force on 1 August 2024. Bans on certain practices and AI literacy duties apply from 2 February 2025, rules for general-purpose AI models from 2 August 2025, most other rules from 2 August 2026; high-risk rules follow in December 2027 and August 2028.