The EU has approved the world's first law on artificial intelligence
06/06/2024 • Profession news
The member states of the European Union approved a law aimed at harmonizing the rules of artificial intelligence, the so-called Artificial Intelligence Act. It is the first act of its kind in the world, which can set global standards for legislation on artificial intelligence, according to the announcement of the Council of the EU.
The new law aims to encourage private and public actors to develop and adopt safe and reliable artificial intelligence systems across the EU single market. At the same time, it seeks to ensure respect for the fundamental rights of EU citizens and encourage investment and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence in Europe.
The AI Act applies only in the area covered by EU law and provides for exemptions in the case of systems used exclusively for military and defense purposes, as well as for research purposes.
Different forms of artificial intelligence
According to the law, different forms of artificial intelligence are categorized according to risk.
Thus, as stated, artificial intelligence systems that represent a limited risk would be subject to very mild obligations in terms of transparency, while high-risk systems would be approved on the condition that they meet several requirements and obligations for accessing the EU market.
Artificial intelligence systems such as cognitive behavioral manipulation and social evaluation will be banned in the EU due to unacceptable risk. The act also prohibits the use of artificial intelligence for predictive policing, which is based on profiling and systems that use biometric data to categorize people according to specific categories such as race, religion or sexual orientation.
The law also deals with the use of general-purpose artificial intelligence models.
According to the report, general-purpose AI models that do not pose a systemic risk will be subject to some limited requirements, for example in terms of transparency, while those that pose systemic risks will have to adhere to strict rules.
Penalties are also foreseen
Companies that breach the AI law will be fined based on a percentage of their total turnover in the previous financial year or over a predetermined amount, whichever is higher. Small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as start-up companies, are subject to proportionate administrative fines.
The regulation also foresees greater transparency regarding the development and use of high-risk artificial intelligence systems, which will have to be registered in an EU database, and the user's emotion recognition system will have to notify people when they are exposed to such a system.
The Law on Artificial Intelligence, after being signed by the President of the European Parliament and the Council, will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Source: Euronews, Tanjug
Illustration: profimedia