EU AI Act High-Risk Deadline Pushed to 2027, But Transparency Rules Now in Force

The EU extended its deadline for high-risk AI system compliance by sixteen months, with standalone systems now due by 2 December 2027 and product-embedded systems by 2 August 2028. The shift was formalised through Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, which entered into force on 27 July 2026 — just six days before the original deadline. The postponement was not a policy retreat but a practical one: harmonised technical standards and accredited certification bodies required to demonstrate compliance were not yet in place. However, transparency obligations under Article 50 took effect as scheduled on 2 August 2026, requiring AI systems to identify themselves to users, label synthetic media in machine-readable formats, and disclose AI-generated public-interest content unless a named human editor holds accountability for it. The rules signal that the EU is not abandoning its framework but waiting for the certification infrastructure needed to enforce it.