What is the European draft artificial intelligence law?

The world's first AI rulebook

The vast majority of European lawmakers (MEPs) in the civil liberties and consumer protection committee voted in favor of the draft AI Act.

What is the European Artificial Intelligence Law? Figure 1 — Photo: DW

The draft would impose restrictions on how the technology can be used across Europe, according to a statement released after the vote.

The draft rules will be put to a vote by the full European Parliament next month. The details will then be finalised with EU member states and the European Commission before becoming law.

AI regulations have become more urgent due to the rapid development of AI software like ChatGPT. The revolution has brought new benefits and opportunities to the technology industry, but also revealed the risks that AI can create.

“We are about to introduce a landmark law that must stand the test of time. It is important to build citizens’ trust in the development of AI,” Brando Benifei, Italy’s representative, said in a statement. “We believe that this draft strikes a balance between providing legal certainty for businesses and stimulating innovation in Europe.”

What is the AI Act?

The AI Act, first proposed in 2021, sets out regulatory rules for any products and services that use artificial intelligence.

AI products and services will be divided into four tiers, with riskier applications facing stricter regulations that require more transparency and accuracy.

The policing tools are intended to identify in advance where and by whom crimes are likely to occur. Remote facial recognition technology will also be banned except to combat and prevent a specific terrorist threat.

“The goal is to avoid an AI-based controlled society,” said Mr. Benifei. “We think the risk of this technology being used for bad purposes is too high.”

While the original document did not specifically mention chatbots, lawmakers added an amendment to put ChatGPT and similar general AI on par with high-risk systems.

Once passed, the EU said the law would include “world-first rules on artificial intelligence”.

Hoang Ton (according to DW)

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