The European Union’s AI rules are already under fire less than a year after launch. Brussels is leaning toward softening the AI Act, ditching strict safety for speed to keep pace with U.S. and Chinese rivals.
This shift sparked alarm among digital rights advocates who warn this could let dangerous AI systems slip through. Industry voices are split, unsure whether to push ahead or pause.
Tomasz Snażyk, CEO of the Polish AI Chamber, called for clarity. 
“If you actually want to impose something, impose it, if you want to stop the clock, let’s stop the clock,” said Tomasz Snażyk.
“People want to be very certain of what is going on.”
Dutch Greens lawmaker Kim van Sparrentak, who helped draft the original rules, warned that watering down enforcement could stall AI adoption in Europe. Currently, only 13% of EU companies use AI properly.
“As long as we don’t have an AI Act that is being enforced, we keep systems on the market of which you don’t know whether these function well or [if] these are safe. That to me is essential if we want to ensure that a lot of companies start using AI,” van Sparrentak said.
Meanwhile, Big Tech and U.S. government allies argue the AI industry needs more time to comply with regulations before enforcement kicks in. The EU now faces a tough choice: tighten rules and risk losing ground or relax them and risk safety.
