Regulators turn up AI scrutiny
The EU's AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) has moved from law to enforcement planning — it institutes a four-tier risk framework, bans certain high‑risk practices and threatens fines up to €35 million, with key compliance deadlines in 2025–26 (pasqualepillitteri.it). The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority flagged priorities like AI pricing algorithms and public procurement, and the White House released a National AI Policy Framework — all of which are driving a surge in spend on AI governance platforms and compliance tooling ( ).
The EU Artificial Intelligence Act formally entered into force on 1 August 2024. (eur-lex.europa.eu ) (eur-lex.europa.eu) The regulation’s general date of application is 2 August 2026, while the first wave of obligations (including several transparency and prohibition rules) began applying on 2 February 2025. (europarl.europa.eu ) (europarl.europa.eu) The Act establishes a European Artificial Intelligence Office within the European Commission to supervise providers of general‑purpose AI and creates a European Artificial Intelligence Board to coordinate national competent authorities. (artificialintelligenceact.eu ) (artificialintelligenceact.eu) Key provisions are staggered: Article 56(9) and related clauses trigger obligations for notified bodies, GPAI governance and penalties from 2 August 2025, while providers who placed GPAI on the market before that date must comply by 2 August 2027. (artificialintelligenceact.eu ) (artificialintelligenceact.eu) The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority singled out algorithmic pricing and public‑procurement AI as enforcement priorities in its 2026–27 Annual Plan published 23 March 2026, building on a 2024 CMA strategic update that flagged pricing algorithms as a competition risk. (bristows.com gov.uk ) (inquisitiveminds.bristows.com) The CMA has already begun using AI tools to detect bid‑rigging in procurement, signalling operational enforcement as well as policy focus. (addleshawgoddard.com ) (addleshawgoddard.com) The White House published a National AI Policy Framework on 20 March 2026 that urges Congress to enact a single federal AI law, recommends preemption of most state AI rules, and sets out targeted legislative proposals on child safety, data‑center energy and intellectual property. (whitehouse.gov ) (whitehouse.gov) Market estimates for AI‑governance and compliance tooling vary but point to rapid growth: Gartner forecasts global AI‑governance spending of $492 million in 2026 and more than $1 billion by 2030, MarketsandMarkets projects the AI governance market at $5.78 billion by 2029, and ResearchAndMarkets estimates $0.61 billion in 2026 rising to $2.63 billion by 2030. (gartner.com marketsandmarkets.com researchandmarkets.com ) (gartner.com)
