AI regulation refers to the laws, executive actions, and international agreements that governments use to govern how artificial intelligence is built and used. As of the mid-2020s, different jurisdictions have taken noticeably different approaches, and there is no single global rulebook. The entries in this library that describe specific policy documents illustrate the main shapes that approach has taken.
The European Union has pursued binding legislation. Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the AI Act, entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies a risk-based structure: practices deemed an unacceptable risk are prohibited, high-risk systems must meet defined obligations before reaching the market, some systems carry transparency duties, and the majority face no specific rules. The Act also sets obligations for general-purpose AI models, with rules phasing in on a schedule that runs into 2026.
The United States, by contrast, relied during this period mainly on executive action rather than comprehensive legislation. Executive Order 14110, signed on 30 October 2023, directed federal agencies to develop standards and guidance for safe and trustworthy AI. Because it was an executive order rather than a statute, it could be reversed by a later administration, and it was revoked by Executive Order 14148 on 20 January 2025. This shows how policy resting on executive action can change with a change in administration.
A separate strand is national strategy. China’s State Council issued the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan in July 2017, setting a three-step goal for the country to become a major global center of AI innovation by 2030 and calling for supporting legal frameworks and ethical guidelines to be developed alongside the technology.
Finally, governments have coordinated internationally through non-binding declarations. At the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park on 1 to 2 November 2023, the United Kingdom convened countries that signed the Bletchley Declaration, which states that AI “should be designed, developed, deployed, and used, in a manner that is safe” and that the most capable frontier systems carry a “potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm.” Such declarations express shared intent and commit signatories to cooperation, including the establishment of AI safety institutes and research networks, but do not by themselves impose legal obligations.