EU countries and European Parliament lawmakers yesterday agreed to watered-down landmark artificial intelligence rules, including delaying their implementation, in a move critics say shows Europe caving in to Big Tech.
The tentative agreement, which needs formal approval from EU governments and the European Parliament in the coming months, followed nine hours of negotiations.
“Today’s agreement on the AI Act significantly supports our companies by reducing recurring administrative costs,” Marilena Raouna, Cyprus’s deputy minister for European affairs, said in a statement. Cyprus currently holds the rotating EU Council presidency.
The changes to the AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024 with key provisions phased in, are part of a broader European Commission push to simplify a slew of new digital rules.
The simplification drive came after businesses complained about overlapping regulations and red tape hampering their ability to compete with US and Asian rivals.
EU governments and lawmakers agreed to delay rules on high-risk AI systems such as those involving biometrics or related to critical infrastructure and law enforcement to December 2, 2027, from a previous deadline of August 2 this year.
They also agreed to exclude machinery from the AI Act as it is already subject to sectoral rules, following calls from businesses such as Germany’s Siemens and Dutch company ASML.
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