Enrico Letta

European Union Regulators Delay Some AI Act Provisions, Delete Others

The European Parliament and member states agreed to amend the EU AI Act, delaying high-risk AI system compliance deadlines from August 2026 to December 2027 and extending other deadlines for watermarking, sandbox environments, and AI-driven products. The amendments also simplify compliance burdens for smaller companies, adjust personal data usage rules, and carve out exemptions for industrial machinery already covered by product-safety law. One area was strengthened: a new ban on AI-generated sexually explicit images of children and non-consensual nude images. The changes await formal adoption and follow sustained lobbying from European industry and two influential competitiveness reports.