EU bans 'nudifier' AI apps
European lawmakers voted this week to ban AI tools that generate non‑consensual sexual images and moved to require watermarking and phased compliance for high‑risk systems — part of a wider update to the AI Act that also delays some enforcement deadlines. The rules target deepfake harms directly and signal tougher EU oversight of major AI providers while trilogue negotiations could still change specifics. ( )
Joint committees on the Internal Market (IMCO) and Civil Liberties (LIBE) formally adopted a draft report on the Digital Omnibus on AI on 18 March 2026. (europarl.europa.eu) The draft report was prepared by co-rapporteurs Arba Kokalari (EPP) and Michael McNamara (Renew), who are listed as lead authors in the official draft on the EU publications portal. (emeeting.europarl.europa.eu) MEPs amended the Commission’s timetable by proposing a shorter compliance extension for origin‑labelling requirements, moving the deadline to 2 November 2026 instead of the Commission’s proposed 2 February 2027. (europarl.europa.eu) EU member states had already signalled support for a targeted prohibition during discussions on 13 March, with the Cyprus presidency telling ambassadors they agreed to ban practices producing non‑consensual sexual content and child sexual abuse material. (today.rtl.lu) The push for the new measures intensified after reports that users had exploited Elon Musk’s Grok to generate thousands of undressed images, a development Reuters and Bloomberg cited as a key catalyst for lawmakers’ action. (bloomberg.com) Parliament’s joint committee vote clears the measure for a plenary decision scheduled for the 25–26 March session, after which trilogue negotiations between Parliament, the Council and the Commission are expected to begin. (table.media) The European Commission’s broader “Digital Omnibus” had previously proposed postponing some high‑risk AI obligations until late 2027 (with December 2027 cited in Commission analyses), a timeline that was a central point of contention in the committees’ amendments. (euractiv.com)
