Navigating the AI Act: Regulation and Governance

In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm is joined by Eoghan O’Neill, Senior Policy Officer at the European Commission’s AI Office, to break down the EU AI Act, Europe’s strategy to lead the global AI wave with trust, safety, and world-class infrastructure.

They dive into why the EU’s approach to AI is not just regulatory red tape but a proactive framework to ensure innovation and adoption flourish across sectors—from startups to supercomputers. Eoghan unpacks how startups can navigate the Act, why Europe’s regulatory clarity is an advantage, and how investors should be thinking about this new paradigm.

Here’s what’s covered:

• 02:41 Eoghan’s Unorthodox Journey: From Gravy Systems to AI Policy
• 04:32 The Mission & Structure of the AI Office
• 05:52 Understanding the AI Act: A Product Safety Framework
• 09:40 How the AI Act Was Created: An Open, 1,000+ Stakeholder Process
• 17:42 What Counts as High-Risk AI (And What Doesn’t)
• 21:23 Learning from GDPR & Ensuring Innovation Isn’t Crushed
• 26:10 Transparency, Trust & The Limits of Regulation
• 30:15 What VCs Need to Know: Obligations, Timelines & Opportunities
• 34:42 Europe's Global AI Position: Infra, Engineers, Strategy
• 43:33 Global Dynamics: Commoditization, Gulf States & the Future of AGI
• 48:46 What’s Coming: Apply AI Strategy in September