Who Is the AI Act Authority in France?

The honest answer is that this was still being settled. The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) requires every Member State — France included — to designate national competent authorities, including one or more market-surveillance authorities and a notifying authority. Through 2025 and into 2026, France was still finalising exactly which bodies would hold those roles.

Why there is no single tidy name yet

The AI Act sets the obligations at EU level but leaves enforcement architecture to each country. France has several well-established regulators that are natural candidates — its data-protection authority and its consumer-protection and market-surveillance services among them — but the formal allocation of AI Act supervision is a national decision that was being organised on its own timetable.

What this means for a shop

• The substantive duties — especially Article 50 transparency — apply regardless of which body enforces them.
• Do not wait for a named authority before complying; the deadlines are set by the Regulation, not by the designation.
• Check the current French designation when you need the precise contact, as it may have firmed up since.

For most French online shops the practical focus is disclosing AI chatbots and labelling AI-generated media in French, rather than identifying a single supervisory office. See our AI Act overview for the wider framework.

This article is educational, not legal advice.