Professionals in the AI sector may report directly to the EU AI Office suspected breaches of the AI Act, possibly endangering fundamental rights, health, or public trust. Legal protection against retaliation from 2 August 2026, under the Whistleblower Directive.
By Creatives Unite NewsroomThe European Commission launched the AI Act Whistleblower Tool as a direct link between individuals working in AI providers and the European Artificial Intelligence Office, which is the Commission’s centre of AI expertise supporting the development and use of trustworthy AI, while protecting against AI risks.
The new whistleblowing reporting system is designed to enable AI-professionals’ support to the AI Office in detecting early on possible violations of the EU AI Act.
“If you are professionally connected to an AI model provider — whether as a current or former employee, a self-employed collaborator, a shareholder, or a member of the company’s administrative, management, or supervisory body — you may be among the first to notice potential breaches of the law. Your unique position enables you to detect irregularities that could otherwise go unnoticed.” reads the Commission’s FAQs section.
Certified encryption mechanisms guarantee the system’s highest level of confidentiality and data protection throughout the process, including a secure follow-up of users’ reports. A “secure box” is a key feature of the system that allows for receiving updates on the progress of submitted reports and the possibility to respond to additional questions from the AI Office, without compromising users’ anonymity.
Apart from this, it is highlighted by the Commission that “currently, there is no legal protection against retaliation by your employer for breaching non-disclosure agreements or similar contractual terms by your reporting of potential breaches of the AI Act. From 2 August 2026 onwards, however, such reports will fall within the scope of the Whistleblower Directive, which provides legal protection against retaliation”.
The AI Act Whistleblower Tool aims at empowering “individuals to securely submit a report and contribute directly to make AI in Europe safe, transparent, and trustworthy”.
The EU AI Act is the first-ever comprehensive legal framework on AI worldwide, with rules aiming “to promote the innovation and uptake of AI in the EU, while addressing potential risks to people’s health, safety, and fundamental rights and safeguarding democracy and the rule of law”.
The AI Act Whistleblower Tool is available here.
Find more here.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
