What the Digital Omnibus on AI actually changed
The practical mistake is saying the AI Act was delayed. Some deadlines moved. Others did not.
Legal status. The Digital Omnibus on AI was published in the Official Journal of the EU on July 24, 2026 as Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 and entered into force on July 27, 2026. The deferred dates below are now binding law.
Status last verified:
Status last verified:
Before and after table
| Obligation | Original date | Current date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| National AI regulatory sandboxes must be established | August 2, 2026 | August 2, 2027 | Deferred — now law |
| Machine-readable marking grace period ends for older generative systems | August 2, 2026 | December 2, 2026 | Deferred — now law |
| New prohibition on AI systems for generating NCII and CSAM takes effect | Added by Omnibus | December 2, 2026 | Added — now law |
| Standalone high-risk AI obligations under Annex III apply | August 2, 2026 | December 2, 2027 | Deferred — now law |
| High-risk AI obligations for Annex I regulated products apply | August 2, 2027 | August 2, 2028 | Deferred — now law |
| Article 50 transparency obligations apply | August 2, 2026 | August 2, 2026 | Not deferred |
The centerpiece that did not move
Users must be informed when interacting with an AI system; AI-generated or manipulated content, including deepfakes, must be disclosed; disclosure duties apply for emotion-recognition and biometric-categorization systems. Article 49 EU database registration framework and governance/enforcement provisions also apply. This date was not deferred.