EU Artificial Intelligence Act: The Essential Reference

The world's first comprehensive AI law - in full, and made navigable. This is the complete final text of the EU AI Act , exactly as published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 12, 2024 - with a plain-English summary at the head of every article and a descriptive heading on all 180 recitals . Nothing abridged, and nothing left unsignposted.

Yes, the Act is free to download. But the official PDF is a wall of dense legal prose with no summaries and no signposts. When you need to check one provision in the middle of a meeting, free gets expensive fast. This edition adds the working layer the official text lacks. Its risk-based framework reaches any AI system touching the European market, so sooner or later, everyone building, buying, or advising on AI in Europe has to open the actual law. This is the version built for opening.

What you'll find inside:

The complete legal text: all 113 articles, 180 recitals, and 13 annexes of the final regulation. Article-by-article summaries: every article opens with a concise plain-language explanation before the official wording, so you know in seconds whether you've found the right provision. Descriptive recital headings: all 180 recitals carry added headings, turning the preamble from a wall of text into something you can scan. A working desk format: a generous 7 × 10 trim designed for reference, not cover-to-cover reading. How this edition is organized:
Recitals 1–180, each with an added descriptive heading, followed by the enacting terms:
I. General Provisions (Arts. 1–4)
II. Prohibited AI Practices (Art. 5)
III. High-Risk AI Systems (Arts. 6–49)
IV. Transparency Obligations for Certain AI Systems (Art. 50)
V. General-Purpose AI Models (Arts. 51–56)
VI. Measures in Support of Innovation (Arts. 57–63)
VII. Governance (Arts. 64–70)
VIII. EU Database for High-Risk AI Systems (Art. 71)
IX. Post-Market Monitoring and Market Surveillance (Arts. 72–94)
X. Codes of Conduct and Guidelines (Arts. 95–96)
XI. Delegation of Power and Committee Procedure (Arts. 97–98)
XII. Penalties (Arts. 99–101)
XIII. Final Provisions (Arts. 102–113)
Annexes I–XIII, from the high-risk classification lists to technical documentation requirements.

Whether you're an AI developer, legal practitioner, compliance officer, DPO, business leader, policymaker, or student, this reference pairs the legal text with the orientation needed to interpret it confidently - and to cite the Act itself rather than a summary of it.

Read the summary when you need the gist. Read the official wording when it matters. This edition gives you both, on the same page.