In short: AI regulation is not one deadline — it's dozens, staggered across jurisdictions from the EU to US states to sector regulators. This calendar consolidates every enforcement date, application date, and compliance window that matters to small and mid-size teams in 2026 and 2027. Updated monthly.
Updated monthly as laws pass and deadlines shift. Last updated: May 21, 2026.
Already in force (2025)
| Date | Jurisdiction | What applies | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2025 | EU | EU AI Act — prohibited AI practices (Article 5) | All organizations placing AI in EU market |
| Feb 2, 2025 | EU | EU AI Act — GPAI governance (Chapter V partial) | GPAI model providers |
| Jan 1, 2025 | Illinois | AEDT annual audit requirement continues | Employers using AI in hiring in Illinois |
| Jan 1, 2025 | California | CalAI amendments (SB 1047 provisions) | AI developers, deployers in CA |
| Mar 2025 | US Federal | FTC Operation AI Comply (second wave) | AI tools making claims to consumers |
2026 deadlines
Q1 2026 (January–March)
| Date | Jurisdiction | What applies | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2026 | Colorado | Colorado AI Act (SB 205) — high-risk AI in consequential decisions | Deployers making decisions on credit, housing, employment, healthcare, education |
| Feb 1, 2026 | Colorado | Consumer notification requirement | Any system using AI in a covered high-risk decision must notify affected individuals |
| Ongoing | US Federal | FTC AI enforcement — ongoing investigations under Section 5 | AI vendors making unsubstantiated capability claims |
Colorado SB 205: High-risk AI means any system making consequential decisions for a Colorado resident — employment, credit, housing, insurance, healthcare, or education. Deployers must run a bias audit, document the impact assessment, and notify affected consumers.
Q2 2026 (April–June)
| Date | Jurisdiction | What applies | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing | US Federal | SEC AI governance examination priorities | Registered investment advisers using AI for client recommendations |
| Ongoing | US Federal | CFPB adverse action notice requirement | Any lender using AI model in credit decision must provide specific adverse action notice |
| Ongoing | EU | EU AI Act enforcement by national authorities | Violations of prohibited AI practices now subject to fines up to €35M or 7% of global revenue |
| Jun 2026 | Washington | Washington AI Likeness Protection Act — enforcement provisions | Commercial use of AI-generated likeness without consent |
Q3 2026 (July–September)
| Date | Jurisdiction | What applies | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 2026 | EU | EU AI Act — GPAI provider obligations (Chapter V, Article 53) | Any organization that trained, fine-tuned, or makes available a general-purpose AI model to EU users |
| Aug 2, 2026 | EU | GPAI systemic risk obligations (Article 55 + Annex XIII) | GPAI providers above 10²⁵ FLOPs training compute |
| Aug 2, 2026 | EU | EU AI Office enforcement jurisdiction | EU AI Office may investigate GPAI providers from this date |
August 2 GPAI obligations:
- Technical documentation (Article 53(1)(a))
- Information for downstream operators (Article 53(1)(b))
- Copyright compliance policy (Article 53(1)(c))
- Training data summary — publicly available (Article 53(1)(d))
- For systemic risk: red-team results, incident reporting, cybersecurity documentation
Q4 2026 (October–December)
| Date | Jurisdiction | What applies | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Connecticut | SB 5 — AI in consequential employment decisions | Any employer using AI in hiring, promotion, termination, or compensation decisions affecting CT employees |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Connecticut | AEDT disclosure notices required | Notice before using AI in consequential employment decision |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Connecticut | Bias audit requirement | Annual bias audit for covered AEDT tools |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Connecticut | Whistleblower protection — anti-retaliation | Employees who report AEDT violations |
| Late 2026 | Maryland | Algorithmic pricing law — effective date TBD pending rulemaking | Businesses using algorithmic pricing in consumer-facing markets |
| Dec 2026 | Texas | AI Liability Act — potential effective date | Pending as of May 2026; covers AI-caused harm in high-stakes sectors |
Connecticut SB 5 covered decisions: Any employment decision affecting hiring, promotion, termination, or compensation. Employers must: disclose AI use in writing, allow opt-out, conduct annual bias audits, maintain records for 4 years.
2027 deadlines
| Date | Jurisdiction | What applies | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 2027 | EU | EU AI Act — high-risk AI system obligations (Annex III) | Deployers of AI in hiring, healthcare, credit scoring, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, education |
| Dec 2, 2027 | EU | Conformity assessment required | High-risk AI systems must have conformity documentation before deployment |
| Dec 2, 2027 | EU | EU AI database registration | Deployers of standalone high-risk AI must register in EU public database |
| Dec 2, 2027 | EU | Human oversight mechanism required | High-risk AI deployers must implement documented human oversight |
| Aug 2, 2027 | EU | EU AI Act — full application including all transitional provisions | All remaining transitional categories |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Illinois | AEDT update — broader AI system coverage expected | Employers using any AI system in hiring in Illinois |
| 2027 TBD | US Federal | FTC AI rulemaking (proposed rule) | Pending; expected to cover automated decision-making in consumer contexts |
Sector-specific ongoing obligations
These are not one-time deadlines but continuous obligations already in force:
| Sector | Regulator | Obligation | In force since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | HHS / OCR | HIPAA BAA required for any AI tool processing PHI | Ongoing |
| Healthcare | FDA | AI/ML-based SaMD (software as a medical device) clearance | Ongoing |
| Financial services | CFPB | Adverse action notice for AI credit decisions | Ongoing |
| Financial services | SEC | Investment adviser AI disclosure to clients | 2024 |
| Employment | EEOC | Disparate impact standard applies to AI hiring tools | Ongoing |
| Employment | OFCCP | Federal contractors — AI in selection procedures | Ongoing |
| Consumer products | FTC | Section 5 unfair/deceptive acts — AI capability claims | Ongoing |
| Children's data | FTC | COPPA — AI tools used with children under 13 | Ongoing |
Deadlines that shifted in 2026
These dates were originally set differently and have been updated:
| Original deadline | New deadline | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 2026 (EU high-risk) | Dec 2, 2027 | EU Digital Omnibus extended Annex III high-risk deadline by 16 months | EU Digital Omnibus provisional agreement, May 7, 2026 |
| Aug 2026 (GPAI) | Not extended | GPAI Chapter V deadline was NOT extended by EU Digital Omnibus | EU AI Office confirmed, May 2026 |
How to use this calendar
For small teams: Focus on three questions:
- Do you provide a GPAI model to EU users? → August 2, 2026 is your deadline.
- Do you use AI in consequential employment decisions affecting Connecticut employees? → October 1, 2026.
- Do you deploy AI in high-risk EU AI Act categories (hiring, healthcare, credit)? → December 2, 2027 — start documentation now.
For compliance teams: Use the AI governance checklist to map each deadline to the specific documents and controls required.
For legal teams: Each row above represents a separate compliance regime with distinct penalty structures, enforcement mechanisms, and documentation requirements. Cross-jurisdictional AI deployments (e.g., a US employer using AI in hiring decisions affecting both Connecticut employees and EU employees) trigger simultaneous obligations under SB 5 and the EU AI Act.
Sources and verification
Dates in this calendar are sourced from official legislative text, regulatory guidance, and official announcements. Where a date is subject to change (marked TBD), the status reflects the situation as of May 2026.
- EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689): eur-lex.europa.eu
- EU Digital Omnibus provisional agreement: European Parliament, May 7, 2026
- Connecticut SB 5: Connecticut General Assembly, enacted 2025
- Colorado SB 205: Colorado General Assembly, enacted 2024
- Illinois AEDT: 820 ILCS 42
For questions about specific obligations, see the individual compliance guides linked in the sidebar.
