The European Council and European Union (EU) lawmakers have agreed to water down the EU’s artificial intelligence (AI) act allowing an extension for  high-risk AI registration and excluding industrial machinery regulations from the AI act.

According to a latest statement released by the Council of European Union on Thursday, the council and EU lawmakers have agreed to extend the deadline for registration of stand-alone high-risk AI systems to December 2, 2027 and August 2, 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products. Earlier, the deadline for implementation of high-risk AI systems was August 2 this year.

“Today’s agreement on the AI act significantly supports our companies by reducing recurring administrative costs. It ensures legal certainty and a smoother and more harmonized implementation of the rules across the Union, strengthening EU’s digital sovereignty and overall competitiveness,” said Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, in a statement on Thursday.

The new amendments make it mandatory for providers to register high-risk AI systems in the EU database. The amendments come under the EU’s “simplification agenda” introduced in 2025 to “lighten the regulatory load for businesses (SMEs) by 35% and administrations by 25% by 2029.

The EU legislators have also added a new provision in the EU AI act prohibiting the generation of “non-consensual sexual and intimate content” or “child sexual abuse” (CSAM) by Gen AI.

“We are stepping up the protection of children targeting risks linked to the AI systems. This agreement is clear evidence of our institutions’ ability to act swiftly and deliver on our commitments,” said Raouna.

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