European Union agrees delays and exemptions in AI Act

TL;DR: The European Parliament and EU member states agreed to soften parts of the EU AI Act and delay some compliance deadlines, according to the Council of the European Union. The changes include up to a 16-month extension for rules on high-risk AI systems, a new August 2028 deadline for AI requirements in consumer products such as toys, and an exemption for machinery with AI components. The amendments still require formal approval from EU governments and the European Parliament.

The European Parliament and EU member states agreed to soften parts of the EU AI Act and delay some compliance deadlines, according to a statement from the Council of the European Union. The Council said the rules were simplified and streamlined as part of a broader European Commission initiative to ease digital regulation.

The agreed amendments include an extension of up to 16 months for applying rules to high-risk AI systems, which include systems using biometric data or linked to critical infrastructure. The previous deadline was 2 August this year. The parties also extended the deadline for companies to meet legal requirements for adding artificial intelligence to consumer products such as toys, with a new deadline of August 2028.

Machinery with artificial intelligence components will be excluded from the AI Act because it is already covered by sector-specific regulation. The ban on applications and systems capable of generating non-consensual sexual images or child sexual abuse material will take effect in December. The changes still need formal approval from EU governments and the European Parliament, a process expected to continue over the coming months.

Related questions

• What deadlines did the European Union change in the AI Act?
• Which AI systems remain classified as high risk under the EU AI Act?
• What products and sectors are excluded or covered by other EU rules?