Artificial Intelligence · Denmark
AI regulation in Denmark: the EU AI Act (2026)
Denmark shaded by its artificial intelligence status
AI in Denmark: comprehensive law, anchored by EU Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) as the directly-applicable baseline, supplemented nationally by Denmark's Act No. 467 of 14 May 2025 ('Lov om supplerende bestemmelser til forordningen om kunstig intelligens'). The Agency for Digital Government (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) is the notifying authority and single national point of contact..
As an EU member state, Denmark applies the EU AI Act directly, with its risk-based obligations phasing in (prohibited-use bans from February 2025, GPAI rules from August 2025, and the bulk of high-risk obligations from August 2026). Denmark was among the first member states to pass national implementing legislation, Act No. 467 of 14 May 2025, designating competent authorities, market-surveillance powers and penalties. The Agency for Digital Government coordinates oversight, supported by the Data Protection Authority and the Court Administration, plus a joint regulatory sandbox.
The EU AI Act in Denmark
In Denmark, artificial intelligence is governed by the EU AI Act, the first comprehensive AI law, which applies directly as an EU regulation.
- Framework
- the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689)
- Approach
- risk-based: unacceptable-risk AI is banned, high-risk AI faces strict duties, limited-risk AI has transparency rules
- General-purpose AI
- transparency duties for all GPAI models; systemic-risk models add safety and evaluation obligations
- Timeline
- phased: prohibitions from Feb 2025, GPAI rules from Aug 2025, most high-risk obligations from Aug 2026
- Maximum fine
- €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for prohibited-AI breaches
- Oversight
- national market-surveillance authorities, coordinated by the EU AI Office
The AI Act is an EU regulation applied directly in Denmark; national market-surveillance authorities handle enforcement.
The EU AI Act in Denmark: FAQ
Yes. As an EU member, Denmark is covered by the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), which applies directly.
It uses a risk-based approach: unacceptable-risk AI is banned, high-risk AI faces strict obligations, and general-purpose AI models carry transparency duties.
It is phased: prohibitions applied from February 2025, general-purpose-AI rules from August 2025, and most high-risk obligations from August 2026.
Up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for breaching the prohibited-AI rules, with lower tiers for other breaches.
Key points
The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) is directly applicable in Denmark, setting a risk-based framework with prohibited practices, high-risk system obligations, GPAI/transparency rules and staggered application dates running through 2026-2027.
Act No. 467 of 14 May 2025 supplements the AI Act in Danish law, designating national competent authorities and laying down market-surveillance powers and penalties; it entered into force on 2 August 2025, making Denmark one of the first member states to legislate.
The Agency for Digital Government (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) is the notifying authority, a market-surveillance authority, and Denmark's single point of contact toward the European Commission and other member states under Article 70 of the AI Act.
Market-surveillance responsibilities are shared: the Agency for Digital Government (general), the Danish Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) and the Danish Court Administration (Domstolsstyrelsen) hold distinct remits, with powers to demand information, order compliance, impose temporary bans and conduct inspections.
Datatilsynet and Digitaliseringsstyrelsen jointly run a free regulatory sandbox offering expert guidance on GDPR and AI Act risk classification; it gives no exemptions or pre-approval. A first round concluded in October 2025 and a second round opened for applications.
The Agency for Digital Government has published practical guides for public authorities and private companies on responsible use of generative AI, complementing the binding AI Act framework.
Timeline - major decisions & events
Denmark's Act on Supplementary Provisions (Law No. 467) took effect alongside the EU AI Act's general-purpose AI and governance provisions, activating national market-surveillance powers and the rules for general-purpose AI models.
Retsinformation (Danish official gazette) ↗Adopted by the Folketing on 8 May and signed 14 May 2025, the law designates the Agency for Digital Government, Datatilsynet and the Court Administration as national competent authorities and sets inspection, enforcement and sanction powers, making Denmark one of the first member states to legislate the AI Act domestically.
Retsinformation (Danish official gazette) ↗The first applicable phase of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 banned practices such as social scoring, untargeted facial-image scraping and certain biometric categorisation, binding Danish public and private actors directly.
EUR-Lex (EU Official Journal) ↗The Ministry of Digital Government set a renewed national direction for responsible AI built on fundamental rights, competitiveness and public-sector leadership, funding a Digital Taskforce for AI, a research centre, and secure Danish-language model infrastructure (DKK 133.1m).
Danish Ministry of Digital Government ↗MEPs adopted the AI Act, finalising the risk-based EU framework that Denmark, as a member state, would implement, setting tiered obligations from banned practices to high-risk system requirements.
European Parliament ↗The Danish DPA issued an opinion finding a municipality lacked a sufficiently specific legal basis under GDPR Art. 6 to operate an AI tool profiling citizens for rehabilitation needs, a key signal on the limits of public-sector AI without clear statutory authority.
Datatilsynet (Danish Data Protection Authority) ↗The DPA published practical data-protection guidance for public authorities developing or deploying AI (lawful basis, DPIA, profiling, transparency) plus a survey of public-sector AI use, establishing GDPR expectations ahead of the EU AI Act.
Datatilsynet (Danish Data Protection Authority) ↗The Ministries of Finance and Industry launched a strategy with 24 initiatives and reserved funding to put Denmark at the forefront of responsible, human-centred AI, the foundational policy framing ethics, data access, skills and public-sector adoption.
Danish Agency for Digital Government (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) ↗Denmark - other topics
Artificial Intelligence in other countries
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