The EU AI Omnibus, explained: what changed in the EU AI Act, and what didn't

The Omnibus entered into force on 27 July 2026 and adjusts specific timelines and mechanisms inside the EU AI Act, which remains fully in force. The headline change: the largest compliance deadlines moved to 2 December 2027 (stand-alone high-risk systems) and 2 August 2028 (AI built into regulated products). The headline everyone missed: not a single core obligation changed, and new duties still arrived in 2026. Transparency requirements and the Commission's power to fine model providers went live on 2 August, and two new prohibitions follow on 2 December, at penalties up to €35M or 7% of worldwide turnover.

Relief and exposure arrived in the same week. Most coverage attended only to the first. This playbook is for the people who have to account for both; to a board, to a regulator, or to the teams building and deploying AI.