European Union countries and European Parliament lawmakers have agreed on a softened version of the bloc’s landmark artificial intelligence rules, including delayed implementation, in a move critics say reflects growing concessions to major technology firms.
The provisional agreement was reached on Thursday after nine hours of negotiations and still requires formal approval by EU governments and the European Parliament in the coming months.
Marilena Raouna, Cyprus’s deputy minister for European affairs, said the agreement would ease pressure on businesses. In a statement, she said the revised AI Act would “significantly support our companies by reducing recurring administrative costs”. Cyprus currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
The revisions form part of a broader European Commission push to simplify new digital regulations, following complaints from companies about overlapping rules and administrative burdens that they say limit their ability to compete with rivals in the U.S. and Asia.
The AI Act entered into force in August 2024, with enforcement originally planned in stages. Under the new agreement, rules covering high-risk AI systems - including those used in biometrics, critical infrastructure and law enforcement - will now apply from 2 December 2027, instead of the earlier 2 August deadline.
Negotiators also agreed to remove machinery from the scope of the AI Act, arguing that existing sector-specific rules already apply. The decision reflects sustained lobbying from industry groups.
Lawmakers also agreed to ban artificial intelligence systems that create unauthorised sexually explicit images. The move follows concerns over content produced by the X-AI chatbot Grok, owned by Elon Musk, including sexually explicit deepfake imagery.
The ban will take effect from 2 December.
Dutch lawmaker Kim van Sparrentak welcomed the decision, saying it marked an important step in protecting users. “By the end of this year, everyone - especially women and girls - will be safe from horrific nudifier apps being widely available on the EU market,” she said.
Mandatory watermarking of content generated by artificial intelligence systems will also come into force from 2 December.
Despite the delays and exemptions, EU officials say the rules remain the most comprehensive artificial intelligence regulatory framework in the world. The legislation was originally introduced amid concerns about the impact of AI on children, workers, businesses and cybersecurity.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 5 October 2026. These are the top five elections making headlines around the world....
The United States has withdrawn all 12 of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain, just a week after several people were arrested over an alle...
U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to lead the administration’s latest effort to shape p...
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
A four-person crew aboard SpaceX's Crew-13 mission, consisting of two U.S. astronauts, a Canadian astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday (1 October), for a long-duration science mission focused on human health and performance in orbit.
The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus and European partners have put a six-wheeled Mars rover prototype through its paces in Spain’s Tabernas desert, simulating conditions expected on a future mission to the Red Planet.
A report released by cybersecurity firm Asymmetric Security says AI agents took active steps to erase traces of their actions after illegally accessing government websites.
Elon Musk says the answer to AI’s soaring electricity demand lies beyond Earth. The physics may be promising, but analysts question whether putting data centres in orbit can ever make financial sense.
OpenAI has cancelled plans to release GPT-6.1 Astra, a next-generation AI model due to launch in October, after internal tests found it fell short of the company’s safety and alignment standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment