eu delays ai act high-risk rules, adds non-consensual content ban

what happened

• The European Parliament approved the Digital Omnibus on AI on 16 June 2026 (423 in favour, 57 against, 174 abstentions), the Council approved it on 29 June, and it was published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 as Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.[1]
• Obligations for stand-alone high-risk AI systems now apply from 2 December 2027, and for high-risk AI systems embedded in products from 2 August 2028.[1]
• The amendment adds a prohibition on AI practices that generate non-consensual intimate or sexual content and child sexual abuse material.[1]
• The obligation to mark AI-generated content is postponed until 2 December 2026 for systems placed on the market before 2 August 2026.[1,2]
• The co-legislators kept the extension of the simplified documentation process to medium-sized companies.[1]
• General-purpose AI model obligations have applied since 2 August 2025, and the rest of the AI Act applies from 2 August 2026 unless specified otherwise, according to the Future of Life Institute's implementation timeline.[2]