EU Hits the Snooze Button on AI Rules (Again)
In a move that surprises absolutely no one who’s ever dealt with bureaucracy, European Parliament committees just voted to postpone key artificial intelligence regulations. Why? Because apparently writing tech standards is harder than teaching your grandma to use TikTok.
The Internal Market and Civil Liberties committees approved the delay with a decisive 101-9 vote on Wednesday, pushing back deadlines for high-risk AI systems. The original August 2026 deadline? Cute, but unrealistic. New dates range from December 2027 to August 2028, depending on what type of AI we’re talking about.
The Good News: Creeps Get Blocked
In a rare win for human decency, MEPs want to ban “nudifier” apps—those charming AI tools that create fake intimate images of real people without consent. If you’re wondering why this wasn’t already illegal, welcome to the internet, where we’re always playing catch-up with new ways people can be terrible.
The ban includes a sensible exception for systems with proper safeguards, because apparently we need to clarify that “don’t make fake nudes of strangers” requires nuance.
Small Businesses Get a Break
To help European companies actually compete (novel concept!), the rules now extend support measures to small mid-cap enterprises. Because nothing says “innovation hub” like drowning promising companies in red tape the moment they start succeeding.
The committees also backed giving companies more time to watermark AI-generated content—though not as much time as the Commission wanted, because compromise is the European way.
What’s Next?
Parliament votes on March 26, then negotiations with the Council begin. Translation: expect more delays, more amendments, and more meetings about meetings. By the time these rules fully activate, we’ll probably all be negotiating with our AI overlords anyway.
At least someone’s thinking about the nudifier apps, though.