Vision Compliance Releases 2026 EU AI Act Readiness Report, Finds 78% of Enterprises Unprepared for Obligations

Readiness analysis based on enterprise compliance assessments across eight industries finds critical gaps in AI systemgovernance structures

Vision Compliance, a European regulatory advisory firm, today published its 2026 EU AI Act Readiness Analysis. Based on compliance assessments conducted across its client base spanning financial services, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, energy, retail, telecommunications, and transport, the firm found that 78% of organizations have not taken meaningful steps toward AI Act compliance.

The EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024, with enforcement being applied in phases through 2027. The regulation introduces mandatory requirements for organizations that develop or deploy AI systems within the European Union, including risk classification, conformity assessments for high risk applications, transparency obligations, and governance documentation.

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Vision Compliance identified three gaps that appear consistently across industries and organization sizes. First, 83% of organizations assessed had no formal inventory of the AI systems they use or deploy. Without a complete inventory, organizations cannot determine which applications fall under the Act’s prohibited, high risk, limited risk, or minimal risk categories. Second, 74% lacked a designated internal owner or governance body for AI compliance. Third, 61% had no process for generating the technical documentation required for high risk AI systems, including data governance records, model performance metrics, and human oversight procedures.

“Most organizations are aware the AI Act exists, but very few understand what it actually requires of them,” said Robert Gelo, Senior Consultant at Vision Compliance. “The regulation goes well beyond policy statements. It requires organizations to classify every AI system they operate, document how those systems were built and tested, and maintain ongoing human oversight.”

The analysis also found that organizations already compliant with GDPR were better positioned for AI Act readiness, particularly in data governance, impact assessments, and documentation practices. However, the AI Act introduces requirements beyond data protection, including conformity assessment procedures and post market monitoring obligations that are new territory for most compliance teams.

Vision Compliance provides AI Act compliance advisory from initial risk classification through implementation of governance frameworks, technical documentation, and ongoing monitoring. More information is available at https://visioncompliance.eu/en/services/ai-compliance

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