The European Union is on the verge of enacting the most comprehensive guardrails on the fast-developing world of artificial intelligence. The bloc’s parliament will vote Wednesday on the AI Act, a landmark set of rules that, in the absence of any legislation from the US, could set the tone for how AI is governed in the Western world. But the legislation’s likely passage comes as companies worry the law goes too far and digital watchdogs say it doesn’t go far enough. “We’re laying out a common European vision for the future of this technology: one where AI is more democratic and safe,” lawmaker Eva Maydell said in parliament on Tuesday, “but also, I would hope, more competitive – that is if it’s done right.” The AI Act is intended to address concerns about bias, privacy and other risks from the rapidly evolving technology. The legislation would ban the use of AI for detecting emotions in workplaces and schools, as well as limit how it can be used in high-stakes situations like sorting job applications. It would also place the first restrictions on generative AI tools, which captured the world’s attention last year with the popularity of ChatGPT. However, the bill has sparked concerns in the three months since officials reached a breakthrough provisional agreement after a marathon negotiation session that lasted nearly 24 straight hours. As talks reached the final stretch last year, the French and German governments pushed back against some of the strictest ideas for regulating generative AI, arguing that the rules will hurt European startups like France’s Mistral AI and Germany’s Aleph Alpha GmbH. Civil society groups like Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) raised concerns about the influence that Big Tech and European companies had in shaping the final text.
Full story : EU Approves World’s First AI Regulations—Here’s What To Know.
