The European Parliament has taken a significant step towards regulating the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. On Wednesday, the Parliament passed the first draft of the AI Act, a proposed law that aims to ensure AI tools respect international human rights laws and are developed safely. The Act has been held up as an example for other nations to follow. It restricts the use of technologies such as facial recognition software and requires transparency from AI developers to share more data used to create their systems.
The final version of the law is expected to be passed later this year after negotiations between the Parliament, European Commission, and Council of the EU are concluded. The draft includes provisions for generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, Bing chat, or Google Bard, to prevent them from generating illegal, racist, or biased content. The EU is one of the first to create such a comprehensive draft of an AI law, putting it ahead of the US and other countries in taking control of AI regulation and policies. Policymakers worldwide are striving for strong government regulation on AI development and use, including in the US, where three bipartisan bills were announced last week to ensure AI transparency, address its risks, and ensure the US maintains a leadership role in innovation.
Jonathan Boakes, Managing Director at Infinum in the UK, believes the AI Act will play a vital role in ensuring responsible governance and protecting consumer rights and privacy while stimulating innovation. “In fact, rather than stifling innovation, the Act should actually mean tech developers have to get more creative, rather than just jumping on the AI hype train and using it for the sake of it with little thought around what they want it to achieve,” Boakes added. He believes the AI Act serves as a necessary framework to harness AI’s potential while prioritising consumer needs and creating a sustainable AI ecosystem.
The fast-paced development of AI technologies, particularly generative AI, has been changing the industry constantly. The EU’s proposed AI Act aims to ensure that AI tools are developed safely and respect international human rights laws. It restricts the use of technologies such as facial recognition software and requires transparency from AI developers to share more data used to create their systems. The final version of the law is expected to be passed later this year after negotiations between the Parliament, European Commission, and Council of the EU are concluded.
The US is also proposing rules for testing AI systems and protecting user data and privacy, while China is imposing strict censorship rules and control over AI technologies and data. Policymakers worldwide are striving for strong government regulation on AI development and use. However, whether these laws prove effective remains to be seen, as the fast-paced development of AI technologies, particularly generative AI, has been changing the industry constantly.
