EU to Proceed with AI Legislation Despite Industry Pushback

The European Union has confirmed that it will adhere to its planned timeline for implementing the AI Act, despite requests from major tech companies to delay the legislation. This decision was reported by Reuters, following a statement from the European Commission.

Tech giants, including Alphabet, Meta, Mistral AI, and ASML, have expressed concerns that the AI Act could hinder Europe's competitiveness in the rapidly evolving AI sector. However, the European Commission has made it clear that there will be no delays or grace periods in the rollout of the legislation.

The AI Act, which began its phased implementation last year, categorizes AI applications based on risk levels. It bans certain "unacceptable risk" use cases and imposes strict regulations on "high-risk" applications, such as biometrics and facial recognition. The full set of rules is expected to be in force by mid-2026, with obligations for general-purpose AI models starting in August 2025.