European Commission to ease AI Act rules; reprieve for Apple, Meta

European Commission to ease AI Act rules; reprieve for Apple, Meta

It is a part of the drive to simplify the risk-based norms

Amid intense lobbying by Big Tech companies and criticism from the U.S. government against the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act adopted in 2024, the European Commission is considering easing sections of the legislation.

It would be a reprieve for Apple and Meta platforms and other tech giants from the European Union's (EU’s) rules.

According to a Commission agenda, Henna Virkkunen, tech chief of the EU is slated to present the Digital Omnibus on 19 November 19 and the document could be changed before that.

The draft Digital Omnibus document read: "The Commission is proposing targeted simplification measures aimed at ensuring timely, smooth and proportionate implementation.”

The changes include exempting companies from registering their AI systems in an EU database for high-risk systems if used only for procedural tasks. After a one-year grace period, the authorities could levy penalties from 2 August 2027.

A requisite for AI system providers to mark their output as AI-generated content (to address deepfakes and misinformation concerns) will be subject to a transitional grace period.

Meanwhile, the EU executive has diluted the environmental rules after the tech companies and the U.S. government opposed them.