AI regulatory sandboxes play a key role in putting the EU AI Act into practice. Under Article 57 of the AI Act, every Member State is required to set up at least one national AI regulatory sandbox no later than 2 August 2026. This post offers an overview of how various EU Member States are designing and implementing regulatory sandboxes, along with EU-level initiatives that support them. This is a living resource that will be updated as new information becomes available. Help us make this content as complete and accurate as possible by sharing any relevant information you have about local authorities: santeri@futureoflife. Regulatory sandboxes for AI establish supervised testing environments that enable the development and evaluation of AI systems under regulatory oversight prior to their commercial deployment. They enhance legal certainty, promote compliance, enable the processing of personal data, and ease market entry for SMEs and startups. Crucially, records of participation in a sandbox can serve as evidence of compliance with the AI Act. In addition, service providers will be exempt from administrative penalties for violations of the Act, provided they adhere to the recommendations issued by the national competent authority.
EU Artificial Intelligence Act