The EU AI Act Conversations

Maximilian Henning is a Brussels-based tech reporter covering artificial intelligence policy. He joins Risto Uuk to discuss how journalists investigate the AI Act and its implementation. Their conversation explores how leaked documents shape EU tech policy, early European Commission inquiries into frontier AI developers, and the shift towards specialised subscription newsletters. They also examine why member-state enforcement often escapes scrutiny, alongside persistent debates about regulation and European competitiveness.

LINKS:

• Rapporteur The Hack Topic Page
• EU Orders AI Security Disclosures
• Hungary Pitches Embedding Safety Teams
• China Invites EU AI Alliance
• OpenAI Unreported EU Safety Incident
• Setting Up EU AI Testers

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:59) Covering EU tech policy

(05:08) The changing media ecosystem

(09:51) Debating AI industry terminology

(12:46) Deciding what to cover

(17:49) Overlooking prohibited AI practices

(25:09) Shifting AI Act narratives

(29:32) Leaks and Commission enforcement

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Lucilla Sioli, Director of the European AI Office at the European Commission, joins Risto Uuk to discuss how the Office is implementing the EU AI Act. Their conversation covers the enforcement of general-purpose AI rules, how requests for information work in practice, and the role of the Code of Practice in model compliance. They also explore the Office's growing team and resourcing challenges, comparisons with other safety bodies, and the ways industry, researchers, and civil society can engage with European AI governance.

LINKS:

• Code of Practice

• European AI Office

• OpenAI flagged Hugging Face hack to EU authorities

• AI Act Scientific Panel

• Job opportunities

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:48) Economics and game theory

(04:52) Building the AI Office

(07:46) Enforcing the AI Act

(14:15) Tracking incidents and standards

(18:18) AI Office team structure

(25:39) Culture and resource challenges

(30:58) Comparing safety institute models

(33:35) Opportunities for external engagement

(37:01) Outro

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Brando Benifei was one of the European Parliament’s lead negotiators on the AI Act. He joins Risto Uuk to discuss what it will take to put the law into practice. They examine oversight of general-purpose AI models, whether the AI Office has enough resources, and how fragmented implementation affects European innovation. Benifei also explains how independent research and civil society can support enforcement.

LINKS:

• Brando Benifei — European Parliament profile

• EU AI Act — official regulation

• Code of Practice Explorer

• European AI Office

• Resourcing the AI Office

• OpenAI agents hijacked German website

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:52) Entering AI policymaking

(05:05) Implementation and digital omnibus

(11:02) General-purpose AI oversight

(16:40) Competitiveness and regulatory fragmentation

(21:41) Resourcing the AI Office

(23:16) Civil society and enforcement

PRODUCED BY:

https://aipodcast.ing