Skip to content
World Watch

AI regulation in Norway: laws & policy (2026)

AI in Norway: proposed.

Norway does not yet have a comprehensive AI law in force. The government published a consultation (30 June 2025) on a national AI Act that will transpose the EU AI Act into Norwegian law through the EEA Agreement, with entry into force targeted for summer/late 2026. Until then, AI is governed by the non-binding 2020 National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence plus existing sectoral and data-protection rules (GDPR/Datatilsynet).

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Norway with other countries

Legal framework

Proposed Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Act incorporating the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) into Norwegian law via the EEA Agreement; underpinned by the 2020 National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. Lead ministry: Digitalisation and Public Governance (Digitaliserings- og forvaltningsdepartementet); proposed coordinating authority: Nkom.

Key points: artificial intelligence in Norway

  1. Proposed AI Act (EU AI Act via EEA)

    The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance circulated a consultation on 30 June 2025 for a new Norwegian AI Act implementing EU Regulation 2024/1689. It adopts the EU's risk-based approach (bans on unacceptable-risk systems, strict obligations for high-risk systems, transparency for limited-risk). The consultation closed 30 September 2025 and the law is targeted to enter into force in 2026.

    regjeringen.no cms.law

  2. Not yet in force

    As of mid-2026 the AI Act remains a proposal undergoing the legislative process; the EU AI Act has not yet been formally incorporated into the EEA Agreement, so its provisions are not yet binding in Norway. Entry into force is planned for summer/late 2026, in step with the EU to preserve EEA market alignment.

    regjeringen.no svw.no

  3. Supervisory architecture

    The proposal designates the Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) as the national coordinating market-surveillance authority and EU contact point, with sectoral regulators supervising domain-specific high-risk systems and the Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) competent for certain uses such as law-enforcement applications.

    cms.law regjeringen.no

  4. National AI Strategy (2020)

    Norway's binding-rules gap is currently filled by the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2020), a non-binding policy document built on ethical principles, privacy/data protection and cyber security, prioritising AI in health, oceans, public administration, energy and mobility.

    regjeringen.no regjeringen.no

  5. KI-Norge and regulatory sandboxes

    The government is establishing 'KI-Norge', a national arena hosted by the Digitalisation Agency (Digdir) to provide guidance, capacity-building and a regulatory sandbox for controlled testing. Datatilsynet separately runs an AI regulatory sandbox focused on data-protection-compliant AI development.

    regjeringen.no cambridge.org

  6. Existing applicable law in the interim

    Pending the AI Act, AI use is constrained by generally applicable frameworks, notably the GDPR/Personal Data Act enforced by Datatilsynet, and sector rules, rather than a dedicated horizontal AI statute.

    resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com cms.law

Timeline of decisions

  1. Law · official
    KI-loven (Norwegian AI Act) Scheduled to Enter into Force

    Norway's dedicated law implementing EU Regulation 2024/1689 is targeted for August 2026, aligned with the EU full-application date. It will establish a risk-based framework, designate Nkom as the coordinating market surveillance authority, and create a national AI regulatory sandbox hosted in Digdir.

    Norwegian Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance (regjeringen.no)

  2. Law · official
    Draft KI-loven Published for Three-Month Public Consultation

    The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance released the full draft of Norway's AI Act for consultation (deadline 30 September 2025), proposing to incorporate the EU AI Act into Norwegian law and adding national discretionary provisions on competent authorities, enforcement tools, and sanctions.

    Norwegian Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance (regjeringen.no)

  3. Decision · official
    KI-Norge Hub Launched and Nkom Designated National AI Market Surveillance Authority

    The government launched KI-Norge (AI Norway), a national AI coordination and guidance hub housed within Digdir, and designated Nkom (Norwegian Communications Authority) as the coordinating market surveillance authority and EU AI Office contact point, backed by NOK 30 million in dedicated funding.

    Norwegian Government (regjeringen.no)

  4. Guidance · official
    National Digitalisation Strategy 2024-2030 Published

    The government published 'The Digital Norway of the Future', setting a goal to make Norway the world's most digitalised country by 2030, with AI a central pillar, including a national AI infrastructure and a target that all public agencies use AI in their operations by 2030.

    Norwegian Government (regjeringen.no)

  5. Decision · official
    Datatilsynet Launches Regulatory Sandbox for Privacy-Friendly AI

    Norway's Data Protection Authority opened one of the first national DPA-run AI regulatory sandboxes in the world, offering free, close-guidance testing of AI solutions under GDPR, and publishing sandbox reports as public guidance; the sandbox was later made permanent.

    Datatilsynet

  6. Guidance · official
    Norway Launches National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence

    Minister of Digitalisation Nikolai Astrup published Norway's first national AI strategy, covering skills, ethical principles, data infrastructure, and regulatory adaptation, and committing to policy actions across the public and private sectors to maximise AI's societal and economic benefits.

    Norwegian Government (regjeringen.no)

  7. Guidance · official
    Datatilsynet Publishes Landmark 'Artificial Intelligence and Privacy' Report

    Norway's Data Protection Authority released one of the first national DPA analyses of AI through a privacy lens, examining automated decision-making, profiling, transparency, and data-minimisation, laying the intellectual groundwork for the later AI sandbox, enforcement priorities, and the 2020 national AI strategy.

    Datatilsynet

Sources

  1. regjeringen.no/en/whats-new/gjor-norge-klar-for-trygg-og-innovativ-ki-bruk/id3093081
  2. regjeringen.no/en/documents/nasjonal-strategi-for-kunstig-intelligens/id2685594/
  3. regjeringen.no/contentassets/1febbbb2c4fd4b7d92c67ddd353b6ae8/en-gb/pdfs/ki-strategi
  4. cms.law/en/int/expert-guides/ai-regulation-scanner/norway
  5. svw.no/en/norways-new-ai-act-what-it-will-mean-for-your-business/
  6. resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com/en/resources/global-data-and-cyber-handbook/emea/norway/topics/key-da
  7. ai-watch.ec.europa.eu/countries/norway/norway-ai-strategy-report_en
  8. cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-forum-on-ai-law-and-governance/article/from-w

Next for Norway: Data & PrivacyComprehensive law

Next topic

Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 23 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026