The EU AI Act Newsletter

The 2026 International AI Safety Report was launched at the New Delhi AI Impact Summit. Lead writer Carina Prunkl discusses its relevance for AI Act implementation..
Legislative Process
Commission publishes second draft of Code of Practice on marking and labelling of AI-generated content: The European Commission is facilitating a voluntary code of practice to help providers and deployers comply with Article 50 of the AI Act, which mandates marking and labelling of AI-generated content. This second draft incorporates feedback from hundreds of stakeholders, including industry, academia and civil society, gathered through surveys, meetings and workshops in January 2026, alongside contributions from Member States and European Parliament representatives. The revised code has been streamlined to reduce compliance burden whilst promoting open standards and an EU icon for labelling. The code comprises two sections: Section 1 addresses marking and detecting AI content for generative AI system providers, with enhanced flexibility and clarity; Section 2 targets deployers, focusing on labelling deepfakes and text on matters of public interest, adopting a more flexible and practice-oriented approach. Feedback on this draft is due by 30 March, with finalisation expected by early June 2026. The transparency rules become applicable on 2 August 2026.
Analyses
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Outline:
(00:39) Legislative Process
(02:00) Analyses
(08:38) Discussion about this post
(08:42) Ready for more?
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First published:

March 9th, 2026


Source:

https://artificialintelligenceact.substack.com/p/the-eu-ai-act-newsletter-97-safety

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Industry groups welcome the AI Omnibus proposals but want them to go further, while civil society organisations warn against rolling back fundamental rights..
Legislative Process
Council spells out possible new powers for AI Office: A second Council compromise text for the AI simplification package details enhanced inspection powers for the AI Office under the AI Act, according to Maximilian Henning from Euractiv. The Commission's November omnibus proposal sought to centralise AI market inspection powers within the AI Office, moving them away from national bodies. The Office would oversee AI systems built by companies on top of their own general-purpose AI models. Member states are now specifying that this should also apply within the same “undertaking” – a broad term covering organisations acting economically together – potentially encompassing corporate structures like Alphabet, Meta or xAI. The second draft clarifies enforcement powers, permitting the Office to examine company books and relevant data, take copies, and question staff about documents, though legally privileged information and journalists’ sources remain protected. The Office could also request national watchdogs investigate on its behalf.
Signatory Taskforce of the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice: The EU AI Office has launched The Signatory Taskforce, which facilitates [...]
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Outline:
(00:38) Legislative Process
(03:02) Analyses
(08:23) Discussion about this post
(08:27) Ready for more?
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First published:

February 17th, 2026


Source:

https://artificialintelligenceact.substack.com/p/the-eu-ai-act-newsletter-96-simplification

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At Davos, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen defended Europe's AI rulebook arguing that a single EU law is better than a hundred American ones..
Legislative Process
Commission misses high-risk AI guidelines deadline: Euractiv's Maximilian Henning reported that the European Commission will publish draft guidelines later this month to help developers identify high-risk AI systems under the EU AI rules, having missed the 2 February 2026 deadline. Classifying AI systems is essential for companies, as high-risk AI systems face significantly stricter requirements, including additional compliance documentation. The Act relies on the Commission guidance on classification, with a comprehensive list of practical examples. The Commission gathered input last summer and received feedback via the AI Board, a group of national experts. A Commission spokesperson explained that the delay resulted from integrating substantial feedback received over the past month whilst following internal procedures, adding that the priority remains publishing draft guidelines for final stakeholder consultation in February before official adoption. Renew lawmaker Michael McNamara, co-chair of a parliamentary group overseeing the enforcement of AI rules, called the delay “entirely unacceptable”, stating that it undermines the AI Office's credibility. However, he emphasised that adequately staffing the Office to fulfil its responsibilities was [...]
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Outline:
(00:37) Legislative Process
(02:00) Analyses
(08:05) Discussion about this post
(08:09) Ready for more?
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First published:

February 3rd, 2026


Source:

https://artificialintelligenceact.substack.com/p/the-eu-ai-act-newsletter-95-one-law

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Fifty-seven European Parliament lawmakers from across the political spectrum have called for a ban on AI applications that create non-consensual sexual deepfake images..
Legislative Process
Grok nudification scandal: POLITICO's Pieter Haeck reported that fifty-seven European Parliament lawmakers across the political spectrum have called for a ban on AI applications that generate non-consensual sexualised deepfake images within the EU. The call follows widespread outrage at proliferation of such images created by Grok bot on Elon Musk's social network X. The lawmakers contend that these AI systems should be prohibited under the EU's AI law, citing their facilitation of sexual violence against women and children. The European Commission has requested additional information from X and ordered retention of Grok-related documents until the end of the year. Although X announced it would prevent editing of images of people in revealing clothing, POLITICO verified that users could still generate such images. Lawmakers argue that the Digital Services Act alone is insufficient to address this problem, requesting the Commission to confirm that these systems are banned under the AI Act or other EU legislation. Relatedly, Laura Caroli, a former co-negotiator of the AI Act, has written a Substack post exploring how an [...]
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Outline:
(00:38) Legislative Process
(06:40) Analyses
(08:25) Discussion about this post
(08:29) Ready for more?
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First published:

January 19th, 2026


Source:

https://artificialintelligenceact.substack.com/p/the-eu-ai-act-newsletter-94-grok

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This first draft of the Code of Practice on transparency of AI-generated content was released aiming to help organisations comply with requirements for marking and labelling such content..
Legislative Process
First Code of Practice draft published: The first draft of the Code of Practice on transparency of AI-generated content addresses key considerations for providers and deployers of AI systems within the scope of Article 50(2) and (4) of the AI Act. Developed through collaborative effort involving hundreds of participants from industry, academia, civil society and Member States, the Code emerged from two Working Groups established in November 2025. The drafting process incorporated 187 written submissions from a public consultation, three workshops and a review of expert studies. The Code aims to ensure that AI-generated and manipulated content are marked in machine-readable, detectable and interoperable formats, whilst enabling people to identify deepfakes and AI-generated text published regarding matters of public interest. This foundational draft invites stakeholder feedback by 23 January 2026 to inform the second version, which will facilitate transparency of AI-generated content within the EU.
Analyses
2026 to be the year the world comes together for AI safety? A Nature editorial predicts continued progress in artificial intelligence in [...]
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Outline:
(00:39) Legislative Process
(01:49) Analyses
(08:23) Discussion about this post
(08:27) Ready for more?
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First published:

January 5th, 2026


Source:

https://artificialintelligenceact.substack.com/p/the-eu-ai-act-newsletter-93-transparency

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