AI law comparison · Data verified 2026-08-22
EU AI Act vs NYC Local Law 144
EU AI Act and NYC Local Law 144 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
NYC Local Law 144 takes effect first, so it is usually the more urgent of the two. EU AI Act tracks 10 compliance requirements and NYC Local Law 144 tracks 5. 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 requirementsNew York City Local Law 144 — Automated Employment Decision Tools
NYC Local Law 144 (Int. 1894-A) requires any employer or employment agency in New York City that uses an automated employment decision tool (AEDT) in hiring or promotion decisions to conduct annual independent bias audits, publish the results, and notify candidates before use. An AEDT is any computational process that screens or ranks candidates. Applies to NYC-based roles regardless of where the company is headquart…
Full NYC Local Law 144 requirementsCommon questions
Could both EU AI Act and NYC Local Law 144 apply to my business?
Yes. EU AI Act and NYC Local Law 144 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… NYC Local Law 144 covers Applies to any employer or employment agency that: (1) employs four or more employees; (2) uses an AEDT in the hiring or promotion of an employee for a position… 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 NYC Local Law 144?
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 NYC Local Law 144: $500 per violation; $1,500 per day for continuing violations (enforced by NYC Dept. of Consumer and Worker Protection) 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. NYC Local Law 144 — effective 2023-01-01, enforcement from 2023-07-05. Dates last verified against official sources on 2026-08-22 and 2026-08-22 respectively.
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