Article 68 — Advisory forum (EU AI Act)

Article 68 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Advisory forum. Official text, practical interpretation, key obligations and compliance implications.

Official Text Summary

Article 68 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 establishes an Advisory forum tasked with providing technical expertise and stakeholder representation to the European AI Board and the AI Office. The forum is composed of a broad range of representatives, including industry actors, small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, civil society organisations, academic and research institutions, and standardisation bodies. The European Commission is responsible for establishing the forum and defining its composition rules, ensuring balanced representation across sectors, company sizes, and EU Member States.

The Advisory forum may be consulted by the Board and the AI Office on matters requiring stakeholder input, and may issue opinions, technical recommendations, and written contributions on its own initiative or upon request. It may also establish sub-groups to address specific technical or sectoral questions. The forum meets at regular intervals and its rules of procedure are published to ensure transparency. Members of the Advisory forum are expected to act independently and in the public interest, disclosing any conflicts of interest that may arise. The article reinforces the EU AI Act's broader commitment to inclusive governance by ensuring that those most affected by AI regulation — developers, deployers, civil society, and academia — have a structured channel through which to contribute to regulatory thinking and technical guidance.

What This Means in Practice

Article 68 does not impose direct compliance obligations on AI providers or deployers. However, it has significant practical implications for how the regulatory framework evolves over time.

For industry actors and trade associations, the Advisory forum is the primary formal channel through which private sector perspectives feed into the governance of the AI Act. Companies — particularly those developing or deploying high-risk AI systems — have a strong incentive to engage with forum proceedings, monitor published opinions, and respond to consultations. Forum outputs may inform guidance documents, implementing acts, and delegated regulations that directly affect compliance obligations.

For civil society and academic institutions, the forum provides a seat at the table in shaping how the AI Office and the Board interpret and enforce the Regulation. Organisations that submit evidence-based contributions can influence technical standards, conformity assessment guidance, and the identification of systemic risks.

For legal and compliance teams, tracking Advisory forum opinions is an emerging best practice. Although not legally binding, these opinions signal the direction of regulatory interpretation and may be cited by national authorities during audits or enforcement actions. They also provide early visibility into areas where the Commission may propose legislative clarification.

Practically, participation requires monitoring the AI Office's website and the European Commission's stakeholder consultation portals. Companies with significant exposure to the AI Act should consider nominating representatives or engaging through sectoral trade bodies that participate in the forum.

Key Obligations

• The European Commission must establish the Advisory forum and set rules governing its composition, ensuring balanced representation of industry, SMEs, civil society, academia, and standardisation bodies.
• The Advisory forum must adopt and publish its rules of procedure, ensuring transparency and predictability in its operations.
• Members of the Advisory forum must disclose any conflicts of interest and act in the public interest and independently of any particular commercial or institutional agenda.
• The Advisory forum may issue opinions and technical recommendations either on its own initiative or in response to requests from the AI Office or the European AI Board.
• The Advisory forum may constitute sub-groups to address specific technical, sectoral, or cross-cutting questions arising under the Regulation.
• The AI Office and the Board must consider Advisory forum input as part of their governance and technical deliberation processes, though they are not bound by its recommendations.

Relationship to Other Articles

Article 68 is embedded within Title VII (Governance) and must be read in close conjunction with adjacent governance provisions. It operates as a complement to Article 65, which establishes the European AI Board composed of Member State representatives, and Article 66, which defines the Board's tasks and working methods. Where the Board ensures coordination between national competent authorities, the Advisory forum ensures that external expertise and civil society perspectives inform that coordination.

The forum also connects to Article 67, which establishes the scientific panel of independent experts supporting the AI Office, particularly regarding general-purpose AI models. The Advisory forum and the scientific panel serve distinct but complementary roles: the panel provides independent scientific assessment, while the forum provides broader stakeholder representation.

Article 68 further relates to Article 70 (AI Office) and the wider enforcement architecture, since forum opinions may feed into the technical guidance and codes of practice developed under Articles 56 and 95.

Compliance Timeline

Article 68 falls within the governance chapter of the EU AI Act, which entered into force on 2 August 2024. The governance provisions, including the establishment of the Advisory forum, became applicable on 2 August 2025 — twelve months after entry into force — in line with the phased application schedule set out in Article 113.

This timeline means that the Advisory forum was expected to be constituted and operational by August 2025, enabling it to contribute to the governance work that underpins the high-risk AI system obligations applicable from 2 August 2026 (for high-risk systems under Annex III) and 2 August 2027 (for high-risk systems under Annex I). Organisations preparing for those later deadlines should monitor Advisory forum outputs from 2025 onward, as opinions and technical recommendations issued during that period are likely to shape how the Commission and national authorities interpret key compliance requirements.