That the CFO's statement is a public relations exercise has a 65% probability; they're likely downplaying the true financial burden of regulatory compliance for AI. We’ve seen this before, like with GDPR, where companies initially underestimated costs, only for them to balloon significantly once DPOs and audits were in full swing. This focus on growth-oriented spending often overshadows the less glamorous, but equally critical, regulatory overhead.
My posterior estimate, updated with past evidence, suggests an even higher likelihood (around 75%) that actual spending on legal and compliance for the AI Act will be far more substantial than suggested.
When British Gas talks about smart meters, the underlying lobbying costs are usually hidden from public view.