European Union member states and European Parliament negotiators have struck a provisional agreement to soften landmark artificial intelligence rules within the European Commission’s so-called digital omnibus package.
The deal delays implementation of some obligations for high-risk AI systems to avoid legal uncertainty, the European Parliament said after late-night talks. Rules covering high-risk uses — including biometric systems and AI related to critical infrastructure, education, employment, law enforcement and border management — are pushed back to December 2, 2027 from an earlier August 2 deadline this year.
Machinery has been excluded from the AI Act under the agreement and will remain subject only to existing sectoral safety rules. Critics say the concessions reflect pressure from business interests. A mandatory watermarking requirement for AI-generated content will take effect from December 2.
“Today’s agreement on the AI act significantly supports our companies by reducing recurring administrative costs. It ensures legal certainty and a smoother and more harmonized implementation of the rules across the Union, strengthening EU’s digital sovereignty and overall competitiveness,” said Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus. Cyprus currently holds the EU Council presidency.
Negotiators also agreed to ban AI applications that create unauthorised sexually explicit deepfakes — including images, video or audio — a measure intended to cover material depicting child sexual abuse. Companies will have until December 2 this year to bring systems into compliance. The ban comes after incidents earlier this year when users exploited a chatbot to generate and spread millions of sexually explicit AI-generated images of women and children.
Lawmakers said the changes step up protection for children and show institutions can act swiftly. The amendments form part of the European Commission’s effort to simplify its new digital rulebook. The agreement will now need formal approval from the European Parliament in plenary and from EU governments, steps generally viewed as formalities.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko