# What is the EU AI Act? Findem publishes a public search API over its indexed pages; the guide is at https://www.findem.ai/lazyweb/agent-access. Source: https://www.findem.ai/glossary/eu-ai-act Source observed: 2026-11-11T21:16:33.786Z Last checked: 2026-11-13T04:08:08.062+00:00 Indexed: 2026-11-11T21:28:17.644+00:00 --- --- title: "What is the EU AI Act? Rules for AI in hiring | Findem" description: "The EU AI Act treats AI used in recruitment and worker decisions as high risk. See what it requires, when the rules apply, and how Findem approaches it." url: "https://www.findem.ai/glossary/eu-ai-act" --- # What is the EU AI Act? ← Back to glossary AI and people intelligence The EU AI Act is the European Union's law on artificial intelligence, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. It sorts AI systems by risk, bans certain practices, and sets obligations for providers and deployers of high-risk systems. AI used to recruit or select people, or to make decisions about workers, is listed as high risk. ## How the EU AI Act is defined The [EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj), sets harmonised rules for artificial intelligence across the European Union. It entered into force on August 1, 2024, and applies in stages. The [AI Omnibus, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/1744/oj), amended the Act and its timeline, and entered into force on July 27, 2026, according to the [European Commission](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/ai-omnibus-enters-force). This summary reflects the Act as amended and the Commission's published guidance as of November 11, 2026. This page is a general overview, not legal advice. The Act sorts AI by risk. It bans a short list of practices, sets strict obligations for high-risk systems, and adds transparency rules for some other systems. It covers providers that place AI systems on the EU market and deployers that use them in the EU. Under Article 2, it also reaches providers and deployers outside the EU when the output of the system is used in the EU. Annex III, point 4 lists two groups of high-risk systems in employment: - **Recruitment and selection:** "AI systems intended to be used for the recruitment or selection of natural persons, in particular to place targeted job advertisements, to analyse and filter job applications, and to evaluate candidates." - **Decisions about workers:** AI systems intended to make decisions affecting terms of work-related relationships, promotion, or termination, to allocate tasks based on individual behaviour or personal traits, or to monitor and evaluate the performance and behaviour of workers. Under Article 6, paragraph 3, an Annex III system is not treated as high risk when it does not pose a significant risk of harm, for example when it performs a narrow procedural task or a preparatory task. A system that profiles people is always treated as high risk. Key dates under Article 113, as amended: - **February 2, 2025:** Prohibited practices and AI literacy rules began to apply. The prohibitions include AI that infers emotions in the workplace, except for medical or safety reasons. - **August 2, 2025:** Rules for general-purpose AI models, governance, and penalties began to apply. - **August 2, 2026:** The general date of application, including the transparency rules in Article 50. - **December 2, 2027:** Rules for high-risk systems listed in Annex III, including employment, apply. The original date was August 2, 2026. - **August 2, 2028:** Rules for high-risk AI built into products covered by Annex I apply. ## Why the EU AI Act matters for talent teams An employer that uses a high-risk system is a deployer. Article 26 requires deployers to use the system according to its instructions, assign human oversight to people with the necessary competence, training, and authority, and monitor how it operates. Where the deployer controls the input data, that data must be relevant and sufficiently representative for the system's purpose. Deployers must keep the logs the system generates, where those logs are under their control, for at least six months. Article 26 also has rules specific to the workplace. Before putting a high-risk system into service at work, an employer must inform workers' representatives and the affected workers. People who are subject to decisions made with the help of an Annex III system must be told so. Under Article 86, a person affected by such a decision can ask the deployer for a clear and meaningful explanation of the AI system's role and the main elements of the decision. The Commission's draft guidelines on high-risk classification, published on the [AI Act Service Desk](https://ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu/en/employment-0), give employment examples. Automated job matching and ranking tools, and systems that score applicants' answers in an assessment, are listed as high risk. Fines are set in Article 99. Breaching the prohibited practices can lead to fines of up to EUR 35 million or 7% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. Breaching deployer obligations under Article 26 can lead to fines of up to EUR 15 million or 3%. Lower caps apply to smaller companies. Rules in the United States differ by state and city; see [NYC Local Law 144](https://www.findem.ai/glossary/nyc-local-law-144) for one example. ## How Findem approaches the EU AI Act Findem is the People Intelligence Platform. Its AI does not reject candidates or make hiring decisions, and people review results before they influence hiring decisions. Read more in [Responsible AI at Findem](https://www.findem.ai/why-findem/responsible-ai). Findem's expert-labeled, evidence-backed signals are designed to provide explainability at every step, so a reviewer can see why someone was surfaced. No tool makes an employer compliant on its own. Whether the AI Act applies to a particular use, and in which role, is a question for each organization and its counsel. ## Further reading - [AI governance in HR: A practical guide](https://www.findem.ai/blog/ai-governance-in-hr-guide) - [AI hiring laws in 2027: What Colorado, Connecticut, and California require](https://www.findem.ai/blog/ai-hiring-laws-2027) ## Related terms - [NYC Local Law 144](https://www.findem.ai/glossary/nyc-local-law-144) - [Human in the loop](https://www.findem.ai/glossary/human-in-the-loop) - [Explainable AI](https://www.findem.ai/glossary/explainable-ai) - [AI recruiting agent](https://www.findem.ai/glossary/ai-recruiting-agent) - [Colorado AI Act](https://www.findem.ai/glossary/colorado-ai-act) ## Sources - [Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj) EUR-Lex, Official Journal L, July 12, 2024 - [Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/1744/oj) EUR-Lex, Official Journal L, July 24, 2026 - [AI Omnibus enters into force](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/ai-omnibus-enters-force) European Commission, July 27, 2026 - [AI Act](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai) European Commission, Shaping Europe's digital future - [Employment: high-risk use cases](https://ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu/en/employment-0) AI Act Service Desk, European Commission (draft guidelines) - [Responsible AI at Findem](https://www.findem.ai/why-findem/responsible-ai) - [AI hiring laws in 2027](https://www.findem.ai/blog/ai-hiring-laws-2027) Responsible AI Discover how Findem promotes responsible use of AI to support fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring — designed to assist, not replace, human judgment. [See how Findem approaches responsible AI](https://www.findem.ai/why-findem/responsible-ai) [Request a demo](https://www.findem.ai/request-demo) ## Frequently asked questions. **When do the EU AI Act's high-risk rules apply to hiring AI?** From December 2, 2027. The AI Omnibus, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, entered into force on July 27, 2026 and moved the date for high-risk systems listed in Annex III, which include AI used for recruitment or selection. The original date was August 2, 2026. **Is AI used in recruitment high risk under the EU AI Act?** Annex III lists AI systems intended for the recruitment or selection of people as high risk, in particular to place targeted job ads, analyse and filter applications, and evaluate candidates. Article 6 excludes some systems that do not pose a significant risk, such as those performing a narrow procedural task. Systems that profile people are always high risk. **Does the EU AI Act apply to companies outside the EU?** It can. Article 2 covers providers that place AI systems on the EU market wherever they are based, and providers and deployers outside the EU when the output of the system is used in the EU. Check with counsel for your situation. **What must employers do before using high-risk AI at work?** Article 26 requires deployers that are employers to inform workers' representatives and the affected workers before a high-risk system is put into service at the workplace. Deployers must also follow the instructions for use, assign competent human oversight, monitor the system, and keep its logs for at least six months where they control them. **Does Findem make hiring decisions?** No. Findem is the People Intelligence Platform. Its AI does not reject candidates or make hiring decisions, and people review results before they influence hiring decisions. 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