The European Union’s sweeping amendments to its landmark AI Act come into force today, giving businesses more time to comply with high-risk AI rules while introducing an explicit ban on AI systems used to generate non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.
The changes, adopted through Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 and effective from 27 July 2026, are aimed at reducing compliance burdens, clarifying legal obligations and strengthening safeguards against AI-enabled harms without weakening the bloc’s core protections for health, safety and fundamental rights.
“Targeted amendments to Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 are necessary to address certain implementation challenges, with a view to the effective, simple and uniform application of the relevant rules,” the EU said.
“In order to enable AI innovation in the private and public sectors, it is important that the Commission and Member States’ competent authorities ensure that the supervision, enforcement and monitoring of sectoral and national laws do not create overlaps, inconsistent interpretations or divergent enforcement,” it further stated.
The amendments respond to implementation challenges which emerged following the enactment of EU AI Act in 2024. The EU acknowledged that delays in developing technical standards, establishing national governance structures and setting up conformity assessment frameworks had made compliance more lengthy than expected, especially for businesses.
The regulation has therefore introduced targeted changes to simplify implementation while maintaining the Act’s risk based approach. While one of the most significant changes is the postponement of compliance deadlines for high-risk AI systems. Rules covering AI systems classified as high risk under Annex III will now apply from 2 December 2027, obligations for high-risk AI systems embedded in regular products under Annex I have been deferred until 2 August 2028.
The Commission said the additional time would allow standards, guidance and national oversight mechanisms to be put in place before the rules take effect.
The regulation has also introduced one of the EU’s strongest restrictions on AI generated harmful content. It explicitly prohibits the placing on the market and use of AI systems designed to create or manipulate non-consensual intimate material, including deepfake nudity, and child sexual abuse material. Providers must implement reasonable technical safeguards to prevent such misuse, while deployers are prohibited from intentionally using AI systems for these purposes.
“Non-consensual intimate material constitutes sexual violence and abuse against individuals, in particular women. AI systems that generate or manipulate such material pose a severe risk to health safety and fundamental rights, including victims’ human dignity, personal autonomy, integrity and private life, with potentially serious lasting psychological and other harms, and enable abuse at scale,” EU said
It highlighted that proliferation of such technologies, often described as ‘nudification’ applications, has created an urgent need for an explicit regulatory prohibition.
The regulation also softens the AI literacy requirement by replacing the obligation to ensure a sufficient level of AI literacy with a requirement for providers and deployers to take measures supporting AI literacy among staff. The Commission and member states are expected to assist through training, guidance and the sharing of best practices.
“Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 should be amended to require providers and deployers to take measures to support the development of AI literacy of their staff and of other persons dealing with the operation and use of AI systems on their behalf. The Commission and Member States should support and facilitate the efforts of providers and deployers of AI systems, including through offering training opportunities, providing informational resources, and allowing exchange of good practices and other initiatives,” the EU stated.
