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The European Union has agreed on laws to regulate misuse of artificial intelligence becoming the first continent to do so. (Image: Reuters/Representative)
The EU member states on Friday agreed on a deal on how to draft rules to regulate AI models like ChatGPT.
After 36 hours of whirlwind discussions, the European Union and its lawmakers on Friday said that they have agreed on how to draft rules to regulate artificial intelligence models such as ChatGPT.
“Historic! With the political deal on the AI Act sealed today, the EU becomes the first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI,” EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton said. “The AI Act is much more than a rulebook — it’s a launchpad for EU startups and researchers to lead the global race for trustworthy AI,” he further added.
The lawmakers said that the regulations will not hurt innovation in the sector nor the prospects for future European AI champions.
The AI Act was rushed through the European Union’s legislative process after chatbot ChatGPT, Google’s chatbot Bard, Dall-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, which can create images in nearly any style on demand, exploded onto the scene late 2022.
Even though observer’s hailed ChatGPT’s ability to create articulate essays and poems, there were worries that these technologies could be misused.
The law still requires a formal approval by the member-states and the EU parliament but Friday’s agreement was seen as crossing the last serious hurdle.
“The AI Act is a global first. A unique legal framework for the development of AI you can trust,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), welcoming the deal. “And for the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses. A commitment we took in our political guidelines – and we delivered. I welcome today’s political agreement,” she further added.
Challenges
Regulators struggled during discussions on how to regulate general-purpose AI systems such as ChatGPT. Some European countries feared that too much regulation may stunt the growth of European champions like Germany’s Aleph Alpha or France’s Mistral AI.
France’s digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France would analyse the deal and ensure that it allows Europe to develop its own artificial intelligence technologies.
The EU agreement includes a two-tier approach. There are transparency requirements for all general-purpose AI models and tougher requirements for more powerful AI models.
Biometric Surveillance
The members could not agree completely over the issue of remote biometric surveillance which means facial identification through camera data in public places. The governments want exceptions for law enforcement and national security purposes.
The agreement bans real-time facial recognition, but there will be a limited number of exemptions.
But not everyone was happy with the agreement.
Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)’s Europe chief Daniel Friedlaender signalled he was not happy with the agreement. “Regrettably speed seems to have prevailed over quality, with potentially disastrous consequences for the European economy,” he was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. CCIA is an international, not-for-profit trade association representing a broad cross section of communications and technology firms.
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