Europeans Take a Major Step Toward Regulating A.I.

The European Union took an important step on Wednesday toward passing what would be one of the first major laws to regulate artificial intelligence, a potential model for policymakers around the world as they grapple with how to put guardrails on the rapidly developing technology.

The European Parliament, a main legislative branch of the European Union, passed a draft law known as the A.I. Act, which would put new restrictions on what are seen as the technology’s riskiest uses. It would severely curtail uses of facial recognition software, while requiring makers of A.I. systems like the ChatGPT chatbot to disclose more about the data used to create their programs.

The vote is one step in a longer process. A final version of the law is not expected to be passed until later this year.
nytimes.com/2023/06/14/technology/europe-ai-regulation.html

Also see:

How Europe is leading the world in the push to regulate AI
Lawmakers in Europe signed off Wednesday on the world’s first set of comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence, clearing a key hurdle as authorities across the globe race to rein in AI.

The European Parliament vote is one of the last steps before the rules become law, which could act as a model for other places working on similar regulations.

A yearslong effort by Brussels to draw up guardrails for AI has taken on more urgency as rapid advances in chatbots like ChatGPT show the benefits the emerging technology can bring — and the new perils it poses.
apnews.com/article/ai-act-artificial-intelligence-europe-regulation-94e2b38703b38fdbfabc9580f845ef9a

EU lawmakers vote for tougher AI rules as draft moves to final stage
European Union lawmakers on Wednesday agreed changes to draft artificial intelligence rules to include a ban on the use of the technology in biometric surveillance and for generative AI systems like ChatGPT to disclose AI-generated content.

The amendments to the EU Commission’s proposed landmark law aimed at protecting citizens from the dangers of the technology could set up a clash with EU countries opposed to a total ban on AI use in biometric surveillance.
reuters.com/technology/eu-lawmakers-agree-changes-draft-artificial-intelligence-rules-2023-06-14/

Europe moves ahead on AI regulation, challenging tech giants’ power
European Union lawmakers on Wednesday took a key step toward passing landmark restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence, putting Brussels on a collision course with American tech giants funneling billions of dollars into the burgeoning technology.

The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved the E.U. AI Act, a sweeping package that aims to protect consumers from potentially dangerous applications of artificial intelligence. Government officials made the move amid concerns that recent advances in the technology could be used to nefarious ends, ushering in surveillance, algorithmically driven discrimination and prolific misinformation that could upend democracy. E.U. officials are moving much faster than their U.S. counterparts, where discussions about AI have dragged on in Congress despite apocalyptic warnings from even some industry officials.
washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/14/eu-parliament-approves-ai-act/

The EU is leading the way on AI laws. The US is still playing catch-up
Last month, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and face of the artificial intelligence boom, sat in front of members of Congress urging them to regulate artificial intelligence (AI). As lawmakers on the Senate judiciary subcommittee asked the 38-year-old tech mogul about the nature of his business, Altman argued that the AI industry could be dangerous and that the government needs to step in.
theguardian.com/technology/2023/jun/13/artificial-intelligence-us-regulation

AI Act enters final phase of EU legislative process
The European Parliament adopted its position on the AI rulebook with an overwhelming majority on Wednesday (14 June), paving the way for the interinstitutional negotiations set to finalise the world’s first comprehensive law on Artificial Intelligence.

The AI Act is a flagship initiative to regulate this disruptive technology based on its capacity to cause harm. It follows a risk-based approach, banning AI applications that pose an unacceptable risk and imposing a strict regime for high-risk use cases.
euractiv.com/section/artificial-intelligence/news/ai-act-enters-final-phase-of-eu-legislative-process/

Using AI for loans and mortgages is big risk, warns EU boss
Discrimination is a more pressing concern from advancing artificial intelligence than human extinction, says the EU’s competition chief.

Margrethe Vestager told the BBC “guardrails” were needed to counter the technology’s biggest risks.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65881389

MEPs ready to negotiate first-ever rules for safe and transparent AI
The rules aim to promote the uptake of human-centric and trustworthy AI and protect the health, safety, fundamental rights and democracy from its harmful effects.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act with 499 votes in favour, 28 against and 93 abstentions ahead of talks with EU member states on the final shape of the law. The rules would ensure that AI developed and used in Europe is fully in line with EU rights and values including human oversight, safety, privacy, transparency, non-discrimination and social and environmental wellbeing.
europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230609IPR96212/meps-ready-to-negotiate-first-ever-rules-for-safe-and-transparent-ai

AI could be most substantial policy challenge ever, say Blair and Hague
Artificial intelligence could represent the most substantial policy challenge ever faced by the UK and urgent action is needed to avoid falling behind rival powers such as the US, according to a report co-authored by Tony Blair and William Hague.
theguardian.com/technology/2023/jun/13/ai-could-be-most-substantial-policy-challenge-ever-say-blair-and-hague

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.