EU simplifies AI Act and targets non-consensual deepfakes

EU lawmakers have agreed to simplify the bloc’s landmark AI Act, with supporters describing the changes as a pragmatic way to cut red tape and critics viewing them as a concession to Big Tech. The EU is simplifying the legislation until 2027 while fast-tracking a ban on so-called nudifier apps. The move follows the circulation online of fake explicit images of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The European Parliament and Council have agreed to outlaw AI tools that digitally remove clothing from images to create non-consensual sexual content. Starting 2 December, the ban targets companies developing AI systems for sexual deepfakes and users creating false intimate content of real people without consent. Under the Digital Omnibus on AI, Europe prohibits systems that generate intimate images of people without prior consent.