Member states of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal to simplify the bloc’s artificial intelligence (AI) rules as part of an omnibus package.
The tentative agreement includes a delay for some major obligations for AI systems to prevent legal and commercial uncertainty, according to European Parliament officials.
The Digital Omnibus on AI was proposed five months ago as a way for Europe to boost competition in the AI sector by simplifying compliance with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
However, the proposed legislation has been controversial, with some accusing the EU of watering down its rules for AI systems.
“We are not weakening any safety rules; we are clarifying the rules for companies in Europe,” said Arba Kokalari, the rapporteur for the European Parliament’s Internal Market committee.
“The current state is that companies are confused about whether they should follow the AI act or sectoral legislation … companies should not be regulated twice for one thing.”
Euronews Next takes a closer look at what was approved or changed.
What are the amendments?
The EU AI Act classifies AI systems according to the level of risk they pose to health, safety, and fundamental rights, ranging from minimal risk to unacceptable risk, with stricter obligations imposed as the risk level increases.
High-risk AI systems are those that will be embedded in critical infrastructure, education, employment, migration, asylum and border control. This category previously included products classified as “machinery,” such as smart home appliances.
Thursday’s agreement gives so-called “high-risk” AI systems an extra year, until December 2027, to comply with EU legislation. The deadline extends to August 2, 2028, for AI used in products such as lifts or toys.
There are also simpler rules for small and medium-sized businesses to “avoid duplication between sectoral and AI rules,” the commission said in a press release.
Companies developing AI systems also get access to a “EU-level sandbox” that will let them test their products before they enter the market
Ban on ‘nudification apps’
The Digital Omnibus also prohibits AI systems that generate non-consensual sexually explicit and child sexual content, such as AI “nudification apps” that digitally remove people’s clothing that strip subjects of their clothes.
The ban covers explicit images, videos or audio created without a person’s consent.
Companies will have until December 2 to bring their systems in line with the EU’s new regulations and to put in place mandatory watermarking of AI-generated content.
Renew Europe lawmaker Michael McNamara told reporters that the new rules will apply to any photos where the person’s “intimate parts” are exposed.
when Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok was used to generate sexually explicit AI images of women and children online.
“We wanted to have clarity on what we think about [nudification apps] in Europe and that we are not accepting of it,” said Arba Kokalari, the rapporteur for the European Parliament’s Internal Market committee.
The rules only apply to content that clearly depicts a human being, not a synthetic AI character, according to McNamara.
The agreement still requires formal approval from the European Parliament and EU member states.
