EU passes bill on artificial intelligence (AI) regulation

After many difficult negotiations, on February 2, European Union (EU) member countries approved the first comprehensive regulation to manage the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

EU member states agree on artificial intelligence bill. (Source: AP)

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said member states had ratified the political agreement reached in December 2023. Mr Breton and the Belgian government, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, welcomed the positive move.

EU ambassadors agreed on the AI bill at a meeting in Brussels on February 2, after addressing concerns from France and Germany. France raised concerns about copyright and artificial intelligence, while Germany objected, saying the bill would impose excessive barriers on businesses.

In April 2021, the European Commission (EC) proposed the first EU legal framework for AI. The proposal aims to focus on a number of specific objectives, such as ensuring that AI systems placed on the EU market comply with existing EU law. It also aims to ensure legal certainty to facilitate AI investment and innovation, strengthen governance and effective enforcement of EU law on fundamental rights and safety requirements for AI systems, facilitate the development of a single market for legitimate, safe and trustworthy AI applications, and prevent market fragmentation.

Under the bill, the EC proposes to establish criteria for classifying AI systems based on the level of risk they pose to users, including: unacceptable risk, high risk, limited risk, low risk. Failure to comply with the regulations could result in fines of up to 35 million euros or 7% of global turnover, depending on the violation and the size of the company. The European Parliament (EP) has also proposed the establishment of an AI Office, a new EU body to support the harmonized application of AI law, provide guidance and coordinate joint cross-border investigations.

EU member states and parliamentarians reached an agreement on the bill in December 2023, and its subsequent adoption was supposed to be a formality. However, some countries, including France and Germany, expressed concerns that the AI law would not be effective when implemented, leading to a new round of negotiations.

The European Parliament is expected to vote on the bill in March or April, before it becomes law. It is expected to come into force before the summer. Some provisions of the law will apply six months later, while others will start in 2026.

(according to VNA)

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