TLDR:
Key Points:
- European Council approves the AI Act which sets a global standard for AI regulation.
- The law aims to harmonize rules on AI, promote safe and trustworthy AI systems, and protect the rights of EU citizens.
In a landmark decision, the European Council has approved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, which is touted as the first of its kind in the world and may set a global standard for AI regulation. The new law aims to harmonize rules on AI, promote the use of safe and trustworthy AI systems across the European Union (EU), and ensure the respect of the rights of EU citizens.
The new law categorizes different types of AI according to risk and applies different requirements and obligations to “limited risk” and “high risk” AI systems. It also bans certain uses of AI deemed unacceptable, such as cognitive behavioral manipulation, social scoring, predictive policing based on profiling, and the use of biometric data to categorize people.
To protect the rights of EU citizens, the AI Act requires assessments of the impact on fundamental rights from high-risk AI systems, registration in an EU database for high-risk AI systems, and notification of individuals exposed to emotion recognition systems.
In an effort to promote innovation in the sector, the new law will implement AI regulatory sandboxes that allow for the testing of AI systems in real-world conditions. The AI Act is scheduled to be published in the EU’s Official Journal in the coming days, will enter into force 20 days after publication, and will apply two years after its entry into force.
The EU’s 27 member states unanimously endorsed the final text of the AI Act after addressing concerns about potential impacts on AI innovation. This significant development underscores Europe’s emphasis on trust, transparency, and accountability in dealing with new technologies while fostering innovation and boosting European competitiveness in the AI sector.