European Union: Council adopted general approach on proposal for Digital Omnibus on AI Regulation including provisions addressing AI-generated non-consensual sexual or child abuse content

On 13 March 2026, the Council reached its general approach on the Digital Omnibus proposal for AI Regulation (2025/0359). The Council’s position introduces a prohibition on AI practices generating non-consensual sexual or intimate content and child sexual abuse material. It sets fixed application dates for high-risk AI rules, 2 December 2027 for stand-alone systems and 2 August 2028 for embedded systems, and requires providers to register high-risk AI systems even if they consider them exempt. The approach maintains standards for processing sensitive personal data for bias mitigation and postpones the establishment of national AI regulatory sandboxes to 2 December 2027. Furthermore, it clarifies the AI Office’s supervision of general-purpose AI systems with specific exceptions and tasks the Commission with issuing guidance to help economic operators comply with high-risk AI requirements.