The European Union's new law to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), a first for the world, came into force on Thursday. The regulation has the main objective of limiting the possible abuses of this new technology, as well as encouraging innovation on the continent.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on the social network X that the law is a pioneering framework for safe artificial intelligence in Europe.

Von der Leyen also said that the new legislation will promote the development of AI that Europeans can trust and will provide support to small and medium-sized companies and start-ups on the continent to bring cutting-edge AI solutions to market.

The rule adopts a risk-based approach and imposes limitations on the various AI systems proportional to the dangers they pose to society. Systems that only present a limited risk will be subject to very light transparency obligations, while high-risk systems, used for example in critical infrastructure, education, human resources or law enforcement, will be subject to reinforced requirements before being authorized.

These requirements will include, for example, human control, the establishment of technical documentation or the implementation of a risk management system.

As for the prohibitions, the law indicates that they will be applied in extreme situations and in applications contrary to European values, such as citizen rating systems or mass surveillance used in China.

The new regulation was adopted by the 27 EU member states on May 21 after being adopted by the European Parliament with a large majority. EU legislators reached an agreement on this text in December, after difficult negotiations in which some countries, such as France, feared excessive regulation that would threaten the development of this sector.

Most of the legislation will apply from 2026, but some provisions will already be binding next year.