Top Stories – July 27, 2026
1. EU Regulation 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus) Enters Into Force
Source: EUR-Lex | Date: July 27, 2026
The Digital Omnibus is now legally binding as of today, formally confirming that Annex III stand-alone high-risk AI obligations are deferred to December 2, 2027 and Annex I embedded-product obligations to August 2, 2028. GPAI enforcement and Article 50 transparency requirements are not affected and still activate August 2.
2. Great American AI Act Passes Senate 67-31 with State Preemption Clause
Source: Mintz (Washington Report) | Date: July 3, 2026
The Senate passed the first comprehensive federal AI governance bill by a 67-31 bipartisan margin, including a three-year sunset clause that would preempt state laws specifically regulating AI model development while preserving state laws of general applicability. The bill now awaits action in the House.
3. 84 New State AI Laws Enacted in 27 States in First Half of 2026
Source: Transparency Coalition for AI | Date: July 2026
A mid-year report finds state lawmakers have already exceeded 2025’s full-year total of 73 AI laws, with child safety, frontier model oversight, and AI therapy chatbot restrictions leading the categories. The pace of state legislation directly sets the stakes for the preemption debate now pending in Congress.