Methodology and Fact-Checking: How Every Statement Is Sourced to the Regulation

Every statement on AIActGuide.net is traced to a named primary source, cited with its instrument and provision, and dated. This page sets out the source order, the checks before publication, the status words for uncertain material and four documented conflicts between official sources and the legal text.

The EU AI Act is Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, published in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024 and in force since 1 August 2024. Every page of this guide to the EU AI Act quotes it as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force since 27 July 2026. Earlier wording and dates appear only as dated history.

Compiled by the AIActGuide.net Editorial Team from the Official Journal text and the primary sources named on this page.

The Source Hierarchy: Which Publication Decides a Statement

Five levels of sources decide what AIActGuide.net states, and a higher level always wins, from the Official Journal and EUR-Lex at level 1 to national gazettes at level 5:

Source order applied on AIActGuide.net, as of 24 October 2026.

The AI Act Service Desk, launched by the Commission on 8 October 2025, bases its text on the consolidated version as at 27 July 2026, so it cross-checks the wording but never replaces the Official Journal.

Standards carry the date of their Official Journal citation, not of a news item. EN 18286:2026 is the only harmonised standard cited in the Official Journal as of 24 October 2026, and its legal effect is described only in the words of that citation. Draft standards appear with their CEN-CENELEC stage and its date.

National law sits at level 5 because the AI Act is a directly applicable regulation, which national laws implement or supplement and never transpose. A national status is held per act and dated with its gazette or authority. Each Member State's national competent authorities are listed with the date of the last check.

How a Statement Is Checked Before Publication

A statement goes on a page only after its value is found in a primary source and recorded with the instrument, the exact provision and the date it was checked. Four checks apply to every value:

• Primary-source value: as printed in the publication that decides it.
• Exact provision: article, paragraph and point as the act numbers them, such as "Article 6(3), point (a)".
• As-of date: the day the value was last matched, written out.
• Status word: "in force", "applies from", "draft", "proposed" or "pending".

A value that cannot be confirmed in its primary source is left out, not hedged or attributed. A negative finding appears only in a dated form, such as "no guidance published on the Commission website as of 24 October 2026", after the absence has been checked.

The publisher is the brand AIActGuide.net, with the byline "AIActGuide.net Editorial Team". No page names an individual expert or reviewer: each statement rests on its cited source.

Dating Every Value: Text Version, Amending Act and As-Of Date

Pages quote the AI Act in the version that applies today, the consolidated text of 27 July 2026, and treat the Official Journal publications as the only authentic text. EUR-Lex marks that consolidated version, 02024R1689-20260727, with the notice "This text is meant purely as a documentation tool and has no legal effect". The EU AI Act full text presents both versions side by side.

Amended provisions are cited with their amending point, such as Article 113, third paragraph, point (c), as replaced by Article 1, point (40), of Regulation (EU) 2026/1744. Under it, Chapter III Sections 1 to 3, except Article 6(5), apply from 2 December 2027 for Annex III systems and from 2 August 2028 for Annex I systems; 2 August 2026 and 2 August 2027 appear only as dates that applied before 27 July 2026. Counts follow the version: 113 articles and 13 annexes as adopted, 119 numbered articles, 14 annexes and 180 recitals now. None of the four corrigenda to the act corrects the English text.

Drafts, Proposals and Interpretations: How Uncertain Material Is Labelled

Material that is not yet law carries its status word, its stage and its date: a draft is called a draft, a proposal is called proposed or pending. The Article 6(5) guidelines on high-risk classification are a draft of 19 May 2026, still a draft on 24 October 2026, and the Article 73 serious-incident guidance is cited as a draft of 26 September 2025. The data and cyber omnibus proposal COM(2025) 837 stood at "Awaiting committee decision" on 24 October 2026 and does not amend the AI Act.

Commission guidelines are non-binding. The Commission's FAQ on the guidelines for providers of general-purpose AI models (checked 24 October 2026) states: "An authoritative interpretation of the AI Act may only be given by the Court of Justice of the European Union." The register of EU AI Act guidelines gives every Commission text with its date and status.

Interpretations are marked "Illustration (our reading)" and never stated as the law.

When Official Sources Disagree: Four Documented Cases

Official sources sometimes disagree with the text of the act, and the act wins, as four cases checked on 24 October 2026 show:

Documented conflicts between official sources and the legal text, as of 24 October 2026.

The legal value goes into the copy, and the deviating source is named with its own wording and date instead of being silently corrected. Each case is rechecked whenever its source page changes, and at least once a year.

The Commission's count of nine practices thus stands next to the ten lettered points of Article 5(1). Points (a), (b) and (c) to (h) apply since 2 February 2025; points (ba) and (bb), with Article 5(1a) and (1b), apply from 2 December 2026. The guide to prohibited AI practices gives each point its own date.

Beyond Sourcing: Independence and Corrections

Sourcing is one half of trust; the other half is independence from the bodies and providers the guide writes about, and a public way to correct errors. No EU institution, national authority or provider has a say over what a page states, as the editorial policy sets out. No page carries paid placements, and reader requests go only to independent providers.

Errors go to editorial@aiactguide.net, and a corrected page shows an updated date and a change note. Readers can contact AIActGuide.net to report an error, naming the page and the provision concerned. A new consolidated version, Commission guideline, national implementation law or OJ citation of a standard triggers a review of the pages concerned.

Methodology: Related Questions

AIActGuide.net is independent of the EU institutions, decides no individual case and treats the Official Journal as the only authentic text of the AI Act.

Is AIActGuide.net an Official EU Source?

No: AIActGuide.net is an independent reference, not affiliated with the European Commission, the AI Office or any EU institution. The page about AIActGuide.net describes the publisher and its reference work. Official EU websites sit on europa.eu domains.

Does the Guide Give Legal Advice on Individual Cases?

No: pages explain what the act requires, for whom and by when, and never decide an individual case. The EU AI Act compliance checker gives an orientation, not a legal assessment. Individual cases are for the operator's own legal counsel.

Where Is the Authentic Text of the Regulation Published?

The authentic text is Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 in the Official Journal of 12 July 2024, together with Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, published there on 24 July 2026. The page on the authentic text of the AI Act gives both Official Journal references. The consolidated version is a reading aid with no legal effect.