EU AI Act Establishes Risk-Based Framework for Agent Systems

The European Union finalized implementation guidelines for the AI Act, specifically addressing autonomous agent systems. The framework classifies agents into risk categories based on their decision-making scope and potential impact. High-risk agents that make consequential decisions in employment, credit, or law enforcement face mandatory human oversight requirements. The Act requires transparency disclosures for agent-driven outcomes and establishes liability frameworks for autonomous actions.

This is the first major regulatory framework explicitly addressing autonomous AI systems. The risk-based approach allows innovation in low-stakes domains while requiring human oversight for consequential decisions, setting precedent for how governments worldwide may regulate agent deployment.