EU lawmakers strike provisional deal to soften AI Act

"Under the provisional deal between negotiators for the European Parliament and European Council, high-risk AI systems will face new deadlines of Dec. 2, 2027 for stand-alone systems and Aug. 2, 2028 for AI used in products covered by EU sectoral safety rules, a European Parliament statement said. The original deadline was Aug. 2, 2026."

"The provisional agreement removes overlapping rules for AI in machinery products, Parliament said. These will now follow only sectoral safety rules, with safeguards meant to ensure equivalent health and safety protection."

"It also narrows what counts as a "safety component" under the AI Act. AI features that only assist users or improve performance will not automatically be treated as high-risk, the Parliament said, as long as a failure does not create health or safety risks."

EU member states and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement to delay the most stringent deadlines in the AI Act. High-risk AI systems now face compliance deadlines of December 2, 2027 for stand-alone systems and August 2, 2028 for AI in products covered by EU sectoral safety rules, extending the original August 2, 2026 deadline. The agreement removes overlapping rules for AI in machinery products and narrows the definition of "safety components," ensuring AI features that only assist users or improve performance are not automatically classified as high-risk unless they pose health or safety risks. Formal adoption by Parliament and Council is required before August 2 for the new timeline to take effect.

Read at Computerworld