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The Service Desk of the Federal Network Agency – support with AI compliance?

IT Law Artificial Intelligence

The AI Regulation came into force in August 2024 and its obligations for companies have been gradually coming into force since February 2025 – the scope and intensity of the requirements depend on how high the risk of the specific AI system is and what role the company plays in the AI value chain.

However, many companies – especially small and medium-sized enterprises – are finding it difficult to allocate sufficient capacity and budget to achieve AI compliance, not least because many questions regarding the implementation of the AI Regulation are still unclear.

In our article “SMEs, start-ups and the AI Regulation: opportunities and benefits”, we explain the extent to which the AI Regulation takes into account the special features of small, medium-sized and young companies.

The new AI Service Desk is now intended to help small and medium-sized enterprises that want to use AI. But how helpful is the service really? And what does it actually mean for companies that use Copilot to optimise internal processes, optimise their logistics with AI or optimise their SaaS products with the help of LLMs?

The AI Service Desk

Since July 2025, the Federal Network Agency has been offering a central point of contact for companies that develop or use AI systems with its new AI Service Desk. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and those without their own legal department are to be supported in the implementation of the AI Regulation (AI Regulation or AI Act).

The AI Service Desk will provide the following services via an online portal:

  • initial assessment of whether the application is regulated by the company,
  • Support with guidance on transparency obligations, risk classes and prohibitions, and
  • Explanations of key terms in plain language.
Why is the Federal Network Agency offering this service? It is expected to become the national market supervisory authority for AI. However, it has not yet been formally appointed: the deadline for this is 2 August 2025.

Incidentally, the EU Commission is also planning its own “AI Act Service Desk” in parallel to the Federal Network Agency’s offer and, with the AI Pact, is pursuing a voluntary early-start programme for companies that begin implementation before the deadline.

What does the Service Desk offer – and what doesn’t it offer?

The Federal Network Agency’s online portal is designed to help SMEs navigate the “AI regulatory jungle” and comprises four central components:

  • Self-assessment tool (compliance compass): Assists with a rough categorisation of whether an AI system is affected by the AI Act
  • Information offer: Contains compact explanations of obligations, definitions, prohibitions and examples
  • Contact function: Possibility to contact the authority directly with an enquiry if there are any unanswered questions
  • Training courses: Helps with information on free training courses on AI regulation

The offer can be a good first step – but the Service Desk is no substitute for a sound legal assessment. Companies should be aware of this:

  • The information is non-binding; in particular, the Federal Network Agency accepts no legal liability for the categorisations obtained via the portal
  • The self-assessment tool may be suitable for initial orientation – this can be helpful in clear-cut cases, but it is not suitable for complex or borderline scenarios
Companies that use third-party AI tools and are looking for initial guidance can find helpful tips in our article on “Onboarding AI tools”.

What does this mean for your company?

For SMEs, the AI Service Desk is a useful starting point and a helpful guide. If you want to take a strategic approach to AI compliance, you should:

  • systematically record all AI systems used in the company and check them with the Compliance Compass,
  • clarify your own roles and associated obligations (in particular provider vs. operator),
  • Train employees at an early stage and
  • create and continuously update internal guidelines.

Please note: However, the more essential the respective AI system is for the company’s business model or product or the more critical the AI application, the more likely it is that small and medium-sized companies and start-ups should seek sound legal advice and document their risk assessments.

By the way: SMEs and start-ups must also take appropriate measures to ensure AI competence within the company – you can find out more about this in our “Q&A on AI competence in accordance with Article 4 of the AI Regulation ” – and you can find out whether you need an AI officer or AI representative in your company in this article: “Do companies need an AI officer for sufficient AI competence?”

We support you and your company in implementing the AI Regulation – with clear assessments, structured processes and practical tools. Together, we will analyse what role the AI Service Desk can play in your compliance approach – and where individual advice is required.

Whether SaaS, platform solution or embedded AI: we help to implement regulatory requirements sensibly and pragmatically. Get in touch with us!