EU backs nude app ban and delays to landmark AI rules

The Verge / 3/26/2026

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Key Points

  • European lawmakers voted to delay key application and compliance timelines in the EU AI Act, extending deadlines for developers of high-risk AI systems until December 2027 and for sector-specific safety domains until August 2028.
  • The European Parliament also backed proposals aimed at banning “nudify” apps, targeting services that create non-consensual or sexually explicit deepfake-style content.
  • The delays apply particularly to AI systems considered high-risk due to potential serious impacts on health, safety, or fundamental rights, indicating a shift toward more gradual enforcement.
  • The article notes additional requirements under consideration for AI providers, including watermarking obligations, though the timing and scope are affected by the vote.

European lawmakers have voted to delay key parts of the EU AI Act, the bloc's flagship law for regulating artificial intelligence, while also backing proposals to ban nudify apps.

The measures, approved by a large majority in the European Parliament, would push back compliance deadlines for developers of high-risk AI systems - those deemed to pose a "serious risk" to health, safety, or fundamental rights - until December 2027. Companies developing AI systems covered by sector-specific safety rules like toys or medical devices would have even longer to comply, with a proposed deadline of August 2028. Rules requiring providers to watermark A …

Read the full story at The Verge.