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Chapter 6 · 2026

AI Agents Under EU Law

L. Nannini, A. L. Smith, M. J. Maggini

Abstract

This paper examines the legal implications of AI agents under existing and proposed EU law, particularly in light of the AI Act. It analyzes how current regulations apply to autonomous AI systems and identifies potential gaps or challenges in governance. The authors discuss the need for clear legal frameworks to address the unique characteristics and risks posed by AI agents.

Eigenvector Insight — Zone III / PASF-PADE AnalysisNot part of the original paper
Eigenvector Research — Marco van Hurne
How this paper contributes to solving the Zone III problem (PASF-PADE)

This paper contributes useful building blocks for Zone III architecture through its work on AI agents, EU law, AI Act. While not exclusively focused on enterprise deployment, the insights translate directly to the challenges of long-horizon agentic workflows. The key lesson for Zone III practitioners: the problems identified here do not disappear at scale — they compound. Understanding them at the research level is prerequisite to solving them in production.

Why AI is not sufficient for Zone III without this

Zone III refers to high-complexity, high-risk, long-running agentic workflows — the class of enterprise AI deployments where a single failure can cascade across hundreds of steps. Standard AI models, trained to predict the next token, are not inherently designed for durable, governed, multi-step execution. This paper addresses one or more of the structural gaps that make Zone III deployments unsafe without explicit architectural intervention.

Topics

AI agentsEU lawAI Actgovernancelegal implications