AI law comparison · Data verified 2026-08-22
EU AI Act vs EU Digital Services Act
EU AI Act and EU Digital Services Act are two of the 169 AI and data regulations Aegis Firma tracks. They have different scopes, effective dates, and penalties — and many businesses fall under both. Here is the side-by-side, drawn directly from the regulatory registry.
Find which laws apply to my businessSide by side
Summary of publicly available regulatory text. Verify against current official sources before relying on this for compliance decisions. Not legal advice.
The key difference
EU Digital Services Act takes effect first, so it is usually the more urgent of the two. EU AI Act tracks 10 compliance requirements and EU Digital Services Act tracks 4. They are not interchangeable — meeting one does not discharge the other. The practical question is not which law is “stricter,” but which of them — or both — actually applies to your business.
EU Artificial Intelligence Act
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — the world's first comprehensive AI law. Classifies AI systems by risk: prohibited (social scoring, subliminal manipulation), high-risk (Annex III: HR, credit, education, critical infrastructure, law enforcement), limited-risk (transparency obligations for chatbots and deepfakes), minimal-risk (most AI tools). Providers AND deployers have obligations. Extraterritorial: applies when the AI s…
Full EU AI Act requirementsEU Digital Services Act (DSA) — AI Transparency Obligations
The EU Digital Services Act (Regulation 2022/2065) has been in force for all online platforms since February 17, 2024. For businesses operating online platforms that serve EU users, Article 27 requires disclosure of the main parameters used in recommender systems (algorithmic ranking, personalization). Article 38 prohibits profiling of minors for advertising. Article 26 requires transparency about AI-targeted adverti…
Full EU Digital Services Act requirementsCommon questions
Could both EU AI Act and EU Digital Services Act apply to my business?
Yes. EU AI Act and EU Digital Services Act are separate regulations with separate scopes — a business can fall under both at once. EU AI Act covers Applies to: (1) providers placing AI systems on EU market or putting into service, (2) deployers using AI systems within EU, (3) providers/deployers in third co… EU Digital Services Act covers DSA applies to "online platforms" and "online search engines" offering services to EU recipients. If your operations meet both scopes, you must comply with both. Aegis Firma's free scan checks all 169 tracked regulations against your business profile so you do not have to read each law to find out.
Which has the higher maximum penalty — EU AI Act or EU Digital Services Act?
EU AI Act: €35,000,000 or 7% of global annual turnover (whichever higher) for prohibited AI; €15M or 3% for high-risk violations; €7.5M or 1% for incorrect information to authorities EU Digital Services Act: 6% of global annual turnover (individual infringements); 1% for providing incorrect information to European Commission; periodic penalty payments up to 5% of average daily turnover Penalty structures differ by regulator and violation type — read each law's full page for the cure periods and per-violation detail.
When does each law take effect?
EU AI Act — effective 2024-08-01, enforcement from 2026-08-02. EU Digital Services Act — effective 2024-02-17. Dates last verified against official sources on 2026-08-22 and 2026-08-22 respectively.
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