Navigating the EU AI Act: Transparency, Accountability, and Multilingual Risks

Artificial intelligence has become an essential part of how modern businesses grow, adapt, and compete. But with the EU AI Act now in force as of 1 August 2024, the way organizations use AI is about to change — for good. Compliance, transparency, and responsible use are no longer optional; they’re becoming a non-negotiable.

Different parts of the new framework will roll out over the next few years. Some rules — like the ban on certain AI practices and new AI literacy requirements — came into force as early as February 2025. Obligations for general-purpose AI models follow in August 2025, while most high-risk AI systems will need to comply by August 2026. For high-risk AI embedded in regulated products, the timeline extends to August 2027.

One important point to remember is that under the EU AI Act not all AI systems will be regulated equally. If your business uses AI for high-risk or sensitive tasks — like decision-making that impacts individuals’ rights, safety, or personal data — you’ll need to meet stricter requirements and maintain clear documentation and oversight. Knowing where these risks exist in your operations is the first step to staying compliant.

In addition, multilingual operations add a further layer of complexity. Companies working across multiple languages and markets face unique challenges in making sure that AI tools — from chatbots to machine translation engines — deliver not just speed and efficiency, but also fairness, consistency, and accountability.

So what does this mean in practice? How can your organization move beyond good intentions and make responsible AI a practical, sustainable part of your day-to-day work?

Transparency, Explainability, & Data Protection

One of the clearest requirements of the EU AI Act is the need for true transparency. Organizations must be able to explain how their AI systems work, demonstrate that they are auditable, and show that decision-making processes are clear, traceable, and fair.

This means maintaining accurate, up-to-date documentation of your AI models, their training data, and their outputs — all in full alignment with existing data privacy rules like the GDPR.

Without this level of insight, organizations run the risk of hidden biases, unintended outcomes, or non-compliance. Transparency isn’t just a box to tick — it’s the foundation for building trust with regulators, stakeholders, and the people your AI impacts every day.

Real-World Multilingual Challenges

A common blind spot for many organizations is that multilingual operations often add extra layers of risk. One example is generative AI or chatbots that respond to customers in different languages: they can easily produce inconsistent information if training data is uneven. Poorly aligned machine translation can introduce errors that weaken compliance with local regulations or lead to misunderstandings. This means that for businesses operating across multiple markets it’s crucial to document and review how multilingual content is handled by your AI systems and to build in human checks where needed to protect your reputation and stay compliant.

A Practical Path Forward

The reality for any organization today is that achieving responsible AI won’t happen overnight, but doing nothing is no longer an option either. Staying compliant under the EU AI Act is about creating a culture where transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement become part of how you operate every day.

In practice, that means your approach to AI must be flexible enough to grow with new rules, new technologies, and the evolving needs of your people and customers. So where should you begin?

• Map your AI landscape — Identify where and how you use AI in your business, from customer interactions to internal workflows. Assess which systems may be considered “high-risk” under the act and pay extra attention to how multilingual data is handled.
• Clarify who’s accountable — Define clear ownership for AI governance. Make sure there’s no confusion about who updates documentation, oversees compliance checks, and manages risks across different regions.
• Invest in AI literacy and training — Equip people at every level with the knowledge to use AI tools responsibly, understand their limits, and identify potential risks or inconsistencies. Regulators increasingly expect that AI isn’t managed only by IT but by everyone who touches data and content.
• Keep documentation living and accessible — Don’t just “file and forget.” Keep your AI records up to date, auditable, and connected to your existing privacy measures like the GDPR.

Monitor, review, and improve — Regularly assess your AI systems, data flows, and multilingual processes. Use what you learn to adjust policies, update training, and strengthen safeguards.

Looking to Build Stronger Multilingual AI Workflows? Discover Seprotec.ai

At Seprotec, we know that responsible AI isn’t just about policies — it’s about having the right tools and safeguards in place every day.

That’s why we developed Seprotec.ai: our secure language AI platform that helps you manage multilingual content responsibly, combining advanced machine translation with expert human review where it matters most. With Seprotec.ai, you can take the next step toward building multilingual AI processes you can trust — today and as regulations evolve.