The “AI Act” is recognized as the most comprehensive effort to regulate AI, contrasting with a global landscape marked by a patchwork of guidelines and regulations.
European Union policymakers reached a historic milestone with the approval of groundbreaking legislation to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), setting a new standard for the control of this transformative technology. After nearly 38 hours of negotiations between lawmakers and policymakers, the agreement to support the “AI Act” was heralded as a global first and a unique legal framework for the development of trustworthy AI.
EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed enthusiasm for the achievement, stating, “The AI Act is a global first. A unique legal framework for the development of AI you can trust, and for the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses. A commitment we took in our political guidelines – and we delivered. I welcome today’s political agreement.”
The push to pass the “AI Act” gained momentum since the proposal by the EU’s executive arm in 2021, particularly after the public’s heightened awareness of AI following the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT last year. The law is positioned as a global benchmark for governments seeking to harness the benefits of AI while mitigating risks related to disinformation, job displacement, and copyright infringement.
The legislation, which faced delays due to disagreements over the regulation of language models scraping online data and the use of AI by law enforcement, will now proceed to member states and the EU Parliament for approval.
Key provisions of the “AI Act” include requirements for tech companies operating in the EU to disclose the data used to train AI systems and conduct testing, especially for high-risk applications such as self-driving vehicles and healthcare. The law prohibits the indiscriminate scraping of images from the internet for facial recognition databases, with specific exemptions for the use of “real-time” facial recognition by law enforcement to address terrorism and serious crimes.
To ensure compliance, tech companies found in violation of the law could face fines of up to seven percent of their global revenue, dependent on the violation and the size of the firm. This stern approach underscores the EU’s commitment to enforcing the regulations and holding companies accountable for adhering to ethical AI practices.
The “AI Act” is recognized as the most comprehensive effort to regulate AI, contrasting with a global landscape marked by a patchwork of guidelines and regulations. In the United States, President Joe Biden issued an executive order in October focused on AI’s impact on national security and discrimination, while China has introduced regulations emphasizing AI reflecting “socialist core values.” In contrast, countries like the UK and Japan have taken a more hands-off approach to AI regulation.
The approval of the “AI Act” marks a significant step forward in shaping the ethical and responsible development and use of AI, providing a blueprint for other nations grappling with the challenges and opportunities presented by this transformative technology.