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A copy of "The European Union Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act" on display during the AI & Big Data Expo 2025 at the Olympia, in London, Britain, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
BRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - The European Union's landmark rules on artificial intelligence will be rolled out according to the legal timeline in the legislation, the European Commission said on Friday, dismissing calls from some companies and countries for a pause.
Google owner Alphabet
(GOOGL.O), opens new tab, Facebook owner Meta
(META.O), opens new taband other U.S. companies as well as European businesses such as Mistral and ASML
(ASML.AS), opens new tabhave in recent days urged the Commission to delay the AI Act by years.
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"I've seen, indeed, a lot of reporting, a lot of letters and a lot of things being said on the AI Act. Let me be as clear as possible, there is no stop the clock. There is no grace period. There is no pause," Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told a press conference.
"We have legal deadlines established in a legal text. The provisions kicked in February, general purpose AI model obligations will begin in August, and next year, we have the obligations for high risk models that will kick in in August 2026," he said.
The Commission plans to propose steps to simplify its digital rules towards the end of the year, such as cutting back on reporting obligations for small companies.
Some companies have voiced concerns about the compliance costs and tough requirements of the AI rules, which aim to set guardrails on a technology key to multiple sectors of the economy and currently led by the United States and China.
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Mark Potter
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An agenda-setting and market-moving journalist, Foo Yun Chee is a 21-year veteran at Reuters. Her stories on high profile mergers have pushed up the European telecoms index, lifted companies' shares and helped investors decide on their next move. Her knowledge and experience of European antitrust laws and developments helped her break stories on Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta and Apple, numerous market-moving mergers and antitrust investigations. She has previously reported on Greek politics and companies, when Greece's entry into the eurozone meant it punched above its weight on the international stage, as well as on Dutch corporate giants and the quirks of Dutch society and culture that never fail to charm readers.
