On 12 February 2026, the GATE Institute organized the first training in Bulgaria dedicated to the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The event was held in partnership with the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and brought together managers, entrepreneurs, legal professionals, and innovation and technology experts.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Irena Georgieva from the Legal Group of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. This dialogical format enabled participants to examine specific cases and practical scenarios from their own work related to the regulation.
Attendees were introduced to five key aspects of the Artificial Intelligence Act: the definition of artificial intelligence under the regulation, its scope of application, risk categories, rights and obligations related to the use of general-purpose models, and measures supporting innovation, including regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing.
Particular interest was sparked by the topic of so-called AI agents – orchestrated language models that operate jointly and can change their behavior within days.
“The system you deploy on Monday may not be the system operating on Friday,” emphasized lecturer Ivo Emanuelov, Head of the Experimental Regulation Lab at the GATE Institute.
This has direct implications for businesses: compliance is not a one-time check, but a continuous process. Participants discussed how organizations can build internal mechanisms for monitoring, adaptation, and risk management throughout the entire lifecycle of AI systems – from design and deployment to updates and real-world use.
The question was also raised as to whether placing AI systems within the product safety framework adequately reflects the reality of software development – a process that is significantly faster and more dynamic than that of physical products. Here, one of the key benefits for participants became clear: a deeper understanding of the regulatory logic and the ability to apply it flexibly within the context of their own technological solutions.
The training also highlighted the active role of the Experimental Regulation Lab as a bridge between law, technology, and innovation. The Lab develops practical compliance tools and methodologies, tests regulatory approaches in real-world environments, and supports public institutions and business organizations in implementing new requirements.
This experimental and interdisciplinary approach enables companies to move beyond formal legal compliance and transform regulation into a managerial tool for improved risk management, greater trust from clients and partners, and sustainable positioning on the European market.
The training demonstrated that the Artificial Intelligence Act can be viewed not only as a legal obligation, but also as an opportunity to build trust, reduce legal and reputational risk, implement innovation in a more structured and responsible manner, and exercise strategic leadership in the era of AI.
In a world where technology evolves faster than legislation, awareness, adaptability, and expert preparedness are key. With this first training, the GATE Institute reaffirmed its role as a platform for in-depth and practice-oriented dialogue on the future of artificial intelligence – where regulation is not a barrier, but a tool for sustainable development and growth.