The European Union is considering watering down its flagship AI Act following backlash from Big Tech companies and the US government, according to a report in the Financial Times which cited a draft document outlining the proposed changes that it had seen and an interview with an unnamed senior EU official.
The proposed changes are part of the European Commission’s recently announced “simplification agenda” and “efforts to create a more favorable business environment” within the bloc. In September, the European Commission opened a call for evidence in an effort to collect research on how to simplify its legislation around data, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI).
The unnamed senior EU official told the Financial Times that Brussels has been “engaging” with the Trump administration on potential adjustments to the AI Act and other digital regulations as part of a broader effort to simplify the legislative framework.
Representatives for the European Commission told Fortune the commission “will always remain fully behind the AI Act and its objectives.”
“When it comes to potentially delaying the implementation of targeted parts of the AI Act, a reflection is still ongoing within the Commission,” Thomas Regnier, a Commission spokesperson, said in a statement. “Various options are being considered, but no formal decision has been taken at this stage.”
