EU AI Act Implementation: Internal Expert Collaboration for the Last Mile Challenge

A recent study published on arXiv (2604.21554) tackles the 'Last Mile Challenge' of integrating the EU AI Act's stipulations into software development. By conducting insider action research within an AI startup, the researchers created a pipeline that transforms legal texts into actionable requirements. This process involves practitioners in evaluation and brainstorming, followed by collective prioritization for implementation. The findings identify three distinct patterns in practitioners' views on regulatory requirements: convergence (where compliance aligns with development goals), existing practice (where current efforts meet the requirements), and disconnection (where requirements are seen as mere administrative burdens). The research offers valuable empirical insights into team-level implementation, which is notably limited despite the presence of AI governance frameworks in the industry and organizations.