AI desks go live in Germany, Austria; EU’s price tag: €2M
Germany and Austria have launched simple AI service desks to guide companies under the AI Act. The EU’s €2M version, expected by August 2025, will rely on human staff for general guidance (not thorough legal advice) and respond in 12 EU languages within 2 days.
Set aside AI regulatory sandboxes - for most Member States, that's a challenge for 2026. The current trend is the rapid rollout of AI service desks, following the launch of the AI Continent Action Plan.
Austria was the first to launch its national AI service desk, followed by Germany this week. Meanwhile, the European Commission’s AI service desk is still in development and expected to launch in August (if things go well).
Many European startups have previously complained about having to spend extra money on legal advice to comply with EU regulations. In response, both the EU and several Member States are launching their own initiatives to address these concerns, at least on the surface level. While Germany and Austria have opted for simpler solutions, the European Commission will spend at least €2 million for a temporary AI service desk - though it will not be required to provide actual legal support.
EU's AI Service desk: only human operators, 12 EU languages covered
DG CNECT closed a tender in May to create a temporary AI Service Desk, which is expected to launch in August 2025. The project will cost approximately €2 million for European taxpayers, with the option to increase the contract value by up to 50%, and will run for two years.
According to the tender specifications, the AI Service Desk will have to be staffed by a team of 9 people, who will have to answer at least 120 questions per day. Responses must be provided within two business days and, when necessary, in at least 12 of the EU’s 24 official languages.
The ambition for rapid response sounds good on paper, but the tender specifications reveal some important caveats. Questions may be forwarded to European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) who will also be partially responsible for AI adoption and application across the industry, and the AI Service Desk is not expected to provide legal advice strictu sensu. This means that responses could remain general in nature, and for more specific or complex cases, companies will likely still need to consult legal professionals.
"<...> Every answer sent out to the requesting party must be produced by a human operator. Answers should not be legal advice strictu sensu, but rather consist of practical guidance on how to understand and comply with the AI Act, on the basis of lines to take that have been pre-agreed with the AI Office".
"Such queries can also be forwarded from the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) which acts as a first contact point for AI-related issues for companies at regional level".
German and Austrian AI service desks: not reinventing the wheel
Both Ausria and Germany chose a simpler route - but it required information aggregation in advance. We don't know if this was also created by external lawyers, but it provides simple guidance and aggregated information which is easy to find.
The German AI Service desk has an interactive Compliance Compass for companies to self-evaluate, and thematic information on all aspects related to the compliance with the AI Act.
The Austrian approach is similar - their AI Service desk is essentially a list of general information, with an option to contact the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR) "at any time".
