For much of the past few years, AI initiatives have been shaped by a simple anxiety: the fear of missing out (FOMO). Anything “AI-powered” sounded like progress. In many organisations, this led to fragmented tool landscapes, “black-box decisions” generated by AI that no one could explain, unclear business value, and inconsistent vendor oversight and contracting.
The EU AI Act forces a pause and a review of current practices, asking questions organisations should have answered from the start: What data is being used, and is it fit for purpose? Can outcomes be explained to affected individuals? Are the results fair, non-discriminatory, and auditable? Is there meaningful human oversight? And are controls in place across the full lifecycle — from design and deployment through to ongoing monitoring?