Swedish PM calls for EU AI Act delay

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has called for a pause on the rollout of the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) ahead of an EU leaders' meeting in Brussels. Kristersson criticised the AI Act as "confusing" due to a lack of common standards, marking the first time a government leader has publicly advocated for a delay. He warned that proceeding without clear guidelines could cause Europe to lag technologically and limit the availability of specific AI applications within the European market. 

The move follows comments made by the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, earlier this month, who suggested that parts of the AI Act could be delayed if standards and guidelines are not ready in time.

However, in an article for the IAPP by Kai Zenner, head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss, wrote that the EU "should address implementation challenges head-on — not by deferring ambition, but by doubling down on its digital strategy." Meanwhile, a separate IAPP article considers alternative potential approaches to AI regulation as calls for a pause in the AI Act continue to circulate.