New obligations under the EU AI Act took effect on 2 August 2026, and most organizations are not ready for them. Jamal Ahmed, dubbed the King of Data Protection by the BBC and ranked the number one privacy professional in the United Kingdom by Favikon, today launched an expanded AI governance initiative to close that gap for legal professionals, corporate boards, and business leaders worldwide.
Jamal Ahmed presents a copy of his international bestseller The Easy Peasy Guide to the EU AI Act to Baroness Uddin, member of the House of Lords AI Committee, at a reception at the House of Lords, London, July 2026. Photo: Kazient Privacy & AI Experts.
The initiative arrives on the back of Ahmed’s latest book, The Easy Peasy Guide to the EU AI Act, an Amazon bestseller in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, India, and the United States, which reached number one on Amazon’s Hot New Releases list and charted ahead of John Grisham before it was even published. Ahmed keynoted at the European Commission in January on operationalizing legal requirements into practical solutions and has trained more than 70,000 professionals across 137 countries.
“Organizations are no longer asking whether artificial intelligence will transform business. They are asking how to govern it responsibly,” said Ahmed. “The uncomfortable truth is that AI governance has left the IT department and landed on the boardroom table. Directors who treat it as a technology issue rather than a leadership issue will be the ones explaining themselves to regulators, shareholders, and the front page.”
A Governance Gap the Legal Profession Cannot Ignore
Artificial intelligence is now embedded in legal research, contract analysis, document review, litigation support, and corporate advisory work. The efficiencies are real, but so are the new responsibilities: data protection, intellectual property, professional accountability, and compliance with legislation that is already in force. Ahmed’s initiative gives legal and business leaders what most guidance does not: practical frameworks they can implement, rather than theory they can admire.
The initiative includes live masterclasses on the EU AI Act, the EU AI Act Decoder Kit with its terminology guide, risk classification reference guide, compliance checklists, and decision trees, the Easy Peasy AI Gov community for governance professionals, and executive briefings for boards and leadership teams. Ahmed is also expanding his availability for media interviews, podcast appearances, conference keynotes, and engagements with legal associations.
“The EU AI Act is this generation’s GDPR moment,” Ahmed added. “The professionals and businesses that build governance capability now will lead their industries for the next decade. Everyone else will be scrambling to catch up while the penalties land.”
A Track Record Regulators and Readers Both Recognize
In the United Kingdom, Ahmed’s titles achieved something few authors in any genre manage: following launch, they held the number one, number two, and number three positions simultaneously in Amazon UK’s European Union Civil Law bestseller category, with The Easy Peasy Guide to the EU AI Act at number one, its companion Annexes volume at number two, and his earlier international bestseller The Easy Peasy Guide to GDPR at number three.
Ahmed’s expertise is recognized at the highest institutional levels on both sides of the Channel. In January 2026 he delivered a keynote at the European Commission on turning legal requirements into practical, operational solutions, the philosophy at the heart of this initiative. He also recently presented a copy of the book to Baroness Uddin of the House of Lords AI Committee at a reception at the House of Lords.
That recognition extends into the EU’s regulatory community itself. “Jamal has a clear talent for breaking down complex topics and presenting them in a way that is practical, engaging, and easy to understand,” said Georgia Bakatsia, Legal Officer at the European Data Protection Supervisor, speaking in a personal capacity.
Ahmed held publication of the book so it could be revised to reflect the Digital Omnibus amendments, making it the only guide on the market that was accurate on the day it was released.
About Jamal Ahmed
Jamal Ahmed is the founder of Kazient Privacy & AI Experts and Privacy Pros Academy, host of the Privacy Pros Podcast, and one of the world’s most recognized voices in privacy and AI governance. Dubbed the King of Data Protection by the BBC and ranked the UK’s number one privacy professional by Favikon, he has keynoted at the European Commission, delivered privacy programs across 5 continents, trained over 70,000 professionals across 137 countries, and is the international bestselling author of The Easy Peasy Guide to GDPR and The Easy Peasy Guide to the EU AI Act, an Amazon bestseller in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, India, and the United States.
About Kazient Privacy & AI Experts
Kazient Privacy & AI Experts is an AI governance and privacy compliance organization helping businesses, legal professionals, compliance teams, and executive leaders implement practical governance frameworks for artificial intelligence and data privacy through consulting, education, industry engagement, and thought leadership.
Learn more about the book on Amazon and you can follow him on LinkedIn. For media inquiries or speaking opportunities, contact press@kazient.co.uk.