Regulation18 June 2026

EU AI Act: first audits underway — are you compliant?

National competent authorities have launched their first audit procedures on high-risk AI systems. Timeline, potential fines and priority actions to take.

Cardan-AI has closely monitored the operational rollout of the European AI Act since its phased entry into force. In June 2026, national competent authorities launched their first audit procedures targeting high-risk AI systems in human resources, finance, and critical infrastructure management. This is no longer theoretical: fines can reach 7% of global annual revenue.

Cardan-AI's analysis of the most common non-compliance issues: insufficient technical documentation (Article 11), absence of audit logs (Article 12), and lack of formalised human oversight processes (Article 14) are the three most frequent gaps. These do not require major technical overhauls — they are primarily governance and documentation challenges.

The timeline is tight: systems already in production must be brought into compliance before 2 August 2026 for high-risk applications. Companies without a documented compliance plan are exposed not only to fines, but also to suspension orders that can halt critical operations.

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Analysis by

Cardan-AI Intelligence

Our research and analysis unit, dedicated to applied AI for business, industry and regulatory compliance.

Sources

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