On July 24, 2026, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union jointly issued Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, simplifying and optimizing the implementation arrangements for parts of the EU AI Act (EU) 2024/1689. For manufacturers, this does not mean the AI Act has been fully postponed, but rather that compliance obligations for some high-risk AI systems are being reordered and implemented in phases, with the main changes including:

• Postponed from August 2, 2026 to December 2, 2026: Transparency obligations for AI-generated content such as labeling and watermarks will take effect on August 2, 2026, while system upgrades already in use may be postponed until December 2, 2026; Newly prohibits on AI-generated child sexual abuse material or generating involuntary intimacy/sexually explicit content that identifies individuals, effective December 2, 2026;
• Postponed from August 2, 2026 to December 2, 2027: Some Annex III high-risk AI system obligations are expected to apply, such as biometrics, critical infrastructure, education, employment, law enforcement, border management, and other scenarios;
• Postponed from August 2, 2027 to August 2, 2028: High-risk AI systems embedded in Annex I products and used as security components, especially those regulated under EU industry safety regulations, are expected to be subject to relevant obligations.

Click this link to view the original (EU) 2026/1744 text.